inFAMOUS
Short review:
I finished it. It was much fun.
The slightly longer context for this is that I rarely finish games. Most of the games I rent or buy end up on the "I don't have enough time" shelf. To hold my attention long enough for me to actually finish the game is pretty impressive. Now go buy the game.
Longer review:
inFAMOUS is the story of Cole LighteningPants. He's had a bad couple days after the intro cinematic. This, of course, tends to be the way these things start out.
This is one of the few games I own for the PS3. I also own Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix(meh), MGS4(double meh) and... well... inFAMOUS. Ok, Ok... Before the bitchforks and torches come out. I like MGS4. It just got pushed off by who knows how many other games that struck my attention more. Yes... sooner or later I'll probably... maybe... go back to it. Keep in mind I never finished MGS2 and never played MGS3. Never finished MGS either now that I think about it.
Anyway... inFAMOUS. Hehehe... Love how that sounds in my head when I type it. inFAMOUS. Try it.
Story:
Cole LighteningPants is a delivery boy who conveniently is also an urban explorer. (This explains why he's able to climb like a monkey.) He's just done something that causes a big big boom that kills thousands of people. Time to go to Disneyland! But wait he's trapped in downtown NYC er... Empire City. The boom gives him mystic powers of electricity control and forces the city into a quarantine. He initially is just trying to survive and get out of the city but eventually turns into either a hero or a bad guy.
Ok, upon looking back and typing it up when you try to tell people about the story itself. It's pretty goofy. But so are a lot of other stories that people treasure. "Ok, well... It's a story about this guy with hair on his feet that has to throw away a ring that is taking over his mind! But get this, he's got to throw it in a Volcano! Neat huh?"
Each story resonates with each person differently. I liked the story of inFAMOUS. ok, caveat to this discussion. I am a goody goody. It pains me to try to play 95% of games as a jerk. Of course, 95% of games have the "bad" choices as Snidly Whiplash hand wringing moments of pure villainy. Do I save the nice little girl or force feed her the adorable kitten while playing xylophone on the bones of her parents? Huh... Which am I gonna choose? Although, the scenario I just came up with is kinda funny in a sick kinda way.
Anyway... asides aside. I feel the story does an admirable job of getting us from point A to point B. In the beginning, you don't really feel like a hero. Just this kinda everyman who got shafted and is trying to deal with it. Sure he's got powers and can climb... But he just wants his girlfriend to like him again, to get out of the city and maybe have a few beers with his best friend. But life doesn't let him have it the way he wants. He's got power... and suddenly... he can change the world. It's a powerful idea that some people(myself included) are quite affected by. And looking at the overall story from my own choices and what I would do... It's a compelling narrative.
However, I have to admit... Tycho is right. Some of moral the choices are exactly as I described above. Snidly Whiplash gone nuts. But... on some level I'm sad to say this... but... I have a friend that is pulled to those evil choices. They CALL to him like siren song. He is, currently, working his way through inFAMOUS forcing himself to play as good. His reasoning... "Well, once you go evil you just can't go good. So I lose half of the replay value of the game." My friends... This is somewhat sound reasoning. He's forcing himself to play the game in a way he doesn't enjoy just so he can reward himself with wholesale dickery. yes, there are people out there who enjoy those "Powerful moral choices." Thank you Tycho for the wording.
Gameplay:
Ahhhh, the fun stuff. You get to shoot lightening out of your hand and fry baddies! The powers are fun and make you start to really feel like a lightening god! You can form shields, throw balls of lightening that go boom, shoot balls of lightening that go BOOM as well as other powers.
The quests are all fun. Admittedly, some more than others. The side quests are what are the worst offenders. They repeat but with different window dressing. Not enough as to be annoying but enough to be noticeable. The story quests are good and occasionally incorporate a genuine choice. One of the choices I was surprised about. By this time, I'd actually come to care about someone(in game) enough to make the choice more than a "HAH!!! Let em die! I don't even know who they are."
Since your options continue to expand as you proceed in the gameyou keep finding new and fun ways to get around. As well as things to do while getting around. AFTER I'd finished the game, I actually spent time looking for collectibles because I was enjoying doing it. Normally, you have no hint as to where the collectibles are and hunting for them is just play annoying.
Sadly, you quickly learn that melee is next to useless. The melee lock on doesn't exist... So it's very possible for you to run up and punch somewhere near some baddie while they quite happily step a foot to your left and continue to unload on you with firearms. Ok, ranged it is...
Other stuff(graphics, audio and other Junk):
Meh, it all did it's job. Nothing distracting or annoying. Ok, maybe a little annoying. The camera will occasionally have issues in weird physical situations. If you are too close a building on a ledge in cramped quarters... The "auto-camera" that happens occasionally will maybe sometimes freak out. Nothing big... but still annoying.
Although, dear god do I love the effect for the last power you gain. WOOF!
Conclusion:
Buy it.
I finished it. It was much fun.
The slightly longer context for this is that I rarely finish games. Most of the games I rent or buy end up on the "I don't have enough time" shelf. To hold my attention long enough for me to actually finish the game is pretty impressive. Now go buy the game.
Longer review:
inFAMOUS is the story of Cole LighteningPants. He's had a bad couple days after the intro cinematic. This, of course, tends to be the way these things start out.
This is one of the few games I own for the PS3. I also own Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix(meh), MGS4(double meh) and... well... inFAMOUS. Ok, Ok... Before the bitchforks and torches come out. I like MGS4. It just got pushed off by who knows how many other games that struck my attention more. Yes... sooner or later I'll probably... maybe... go back to it. Keep in mind I never finished MGS2 and never played MGS3. Never finished MGS either now that I think about it.
Anyway... inFAMOUS. Hehehe... Love how that sounds in my head when I type it. inFAMOUS. Try it.
Story:
Cole LighteningPants is a delivery boy who conveniently is also an urban explorer. (This explains why he's able to climb like a monkey.) He's just done something that causes a big big boom that kills thousands of people. Time to go to Disneyland! But wait he's trapped in downtown NYC er... Empire City. The boom gives him mystic powers of electricity control and forces the city into a quarantine. He initially is just trying to survive and get out of the city but eventually turns into either a hero or a bad guy.
Ok, upon looking back and typing it up when you try to tell people about the story itself. It's pretty goofy. But so are a lot of other stories that people treasure. "Ok, well... It's a story about this guy with hair on his feet that has to throw away a ring that is taking over his mind! But get this, he's got to throw it in a Volcano! Neat huh?"
Each story resonates with each person differently. I liked the story of inFAMOUS. ok, caveat to this discussion. I am a goody goody. It pains me to try to play 95% of games as a jerk. Of course, 95% of games have the "bad" choices as Snidly Whiplash hand wringing moments of pure villainy. Do I save the nice little girl or force feed her the adorable kitten while playing xylophone on the bones of her parents? Huh... Which am I gonna choose? Although, the scenario I just came up with is kinda funny in a sick kinda way.
Anyway... asides aside. I feel the story does an admirable job of getting us from point A to point B. In the beginning, you don't really feel like a hero. Just this kinda everyman who got shafted and is trying to deal with it. Sure he's got powers and can climb... But he just wants his girlfriend to like him again, to get out of the city and maybe have a few beers with his best friend. But life doesn't let him have it the way he wants. He's got power... and suddenly... he can change the world. It's a powerful idea that some people(myself included) are quite affected by. And looking at the overall story from my own choices and what I would do... It's a compelling narrative.
However, I have to admit... Tycho is right. Some of moral the choices are exactly as I described above. Snidly Whiplash gone nuts. But... on some level I'm sad to say this... but... I have a friend that is pulled to those evil choices. They CALL to him like siren song. He is, currently, working his way through inFAMOUS forcing himself to play as good. His reasoning... "Well, once you go evil you just can't go good. So I lose half of the replay value of the game." My friends... This is somewhat sound reasoning. He's forcing himself to play the game in a way he doesn't enjoy just so he can reward himself with wholesale dickery. yes, there are people out there who enjoy those "Powerful moral choices." Thank you Tycho for the wording.
Gameplay:
Ahhhh, the fun stuff. You get to shoot lightening out of your hand and fry baddies! The powers are fun and make you start to really feel like a lightening god! You can form shields, throw balls of lightening that go boom, shoot balls of lightening that go BOOM as well as other powers.
The quests are all fun. Admittedly, some more than others. The side quests are what are the worst offenders. They repeat but with different window dressing. Not enough as to be annoying but enough to be noticeable. The story quests are good and occasionally incorporate a genuine choice. One of the choices I was surprised about. By this time, I'd actually come to care about someone(in game) enough to make the choice more than a "HAH!!! Let em die! I don't even know who they are."
Since your options continue to expand as you proceed in the gameyou keep finding new and fun ways to get around. As well as things to do while getting around. AFTER I'd finished the game, I actually spent time looking for collectibles because I was enjoying doing it. Normally, you have no hint as to where the collectibles are and hunting for them is just play annoying.
Sadly, you quickly learn that melee is next to useless. The melee lock on doesn't exist... So it's very possible for you to run up and punch somewhere near some baddie while they quite happily step a foot to your left and continue to unload on you with firearms. Ok, ranged it is...
Other stuff(graphics, audio and other Junk):
Meh, it all did it's job. Nothing distracting or annoying. Ok, maybe a little annoying. The camera will occasionally have issues in weird physical situations. If you are too close a building on a ledge in cramped quarters... The "auto-camera" that happens occasionally will maybe sometimes freak out. Nothing big... but still annoying.
Although, dear god do I love the effect for the last power you gain. WOOF!
Conclusion:
Buy it.