inFamous Playstation 3

"... don't you know you gotta enjoy life or it'll pass you bye." - Revy, Black Lagoon

I believe the creative staff at Sucker Punch echoed these words when they made this exclusive title for the Playstation 3. After getting caught up in the real world I found myself immersed in this game.

First and foremost, this is one of best written games I have played in some time. There are two different story branches, so whichever way you decide to play you end up with different twists and endings. I appreciated this aspect and it made replay value that much more enticing. In the beginning, as with most games, the characters are very basic as we are introduced to them. As the game progresses the development of each character is riveting and enjoyable. I found myself enjoying playing the main character and following his story most of all. All the secondary characters get a piece of the action which is lacking on other action-adventure games. The writers placed a lot of care and effort into the game but also kept in mind this could be just the beginning of a much, much larger world. I appreciate a well done ending that leaves enough open for more.

The gameplay element of the game is also very well done. In this open world game, you can go to whichever mission, side mission or explore as you will. I'm not a big fan of open world games as you can sometimes get lost and have a difficult time finding your way back to the story. Atleast in inFamous the indicators for the missions are easy to read on the map. Blue for story, yellow with red fill evil side mission, etc... Not to mention that you can sometimes find hidden missions by randomly kissing a roaming band of enemies. These involve locating hidden items which can range from super easy to mildly difficult. I would have liked some higher difficulty in these missions and in some of the others. I liked the variety of all the missions. One element of the game I didn't really like was the stunt list. For some reason I'm having a harder time with that than anything else. I love the trophy support but that is like the last trophy I need.

What I liked most is that you grow powerful as the game progresses. This may be typical of standard formula but as you get each power and can master each one, you feel like you're becoming a real bad ass. As you reach the end of the game you feel like you can take on anything. I very much appreciated the gameplay and felt very at ease with the powers once I had enough practice. One thing to note is that hard difficulty mode merely involves double hits for regular enemies and triple for boss battles. Playing this mode second time around really isn't too bad. If a second game is made, I would love an impossible mode.

The art direction of series is standard but I found the cut-scenes to be the real shine of the series. No cgi here folks, more of a comic book look slide show. As simple and campy as it sounds; it is very impressive and striking contrast from the norm. In future installments I believe this will continue. Please have a couple more sequences though as I felt the game was a little short. It drives the story home beyond the audio conversations and story-based missions.

Audiophiles will appreciate the subtle touches most. Each power and impact comes through the appropriate channels along with the impact from the subwoofer. One thing I liked the most was the ending song during the credits. I was impressed with song selection and how enjoyable it was to savor a hard rock song after finishing an epic game. Fans of voice acting will appreciate the talent level and range for each character. While not necessary I'd like a couple more characters so we could appreciate a broader range of a cast.

At the end of the day, it's hard to find much wrong with inFamous. It's an exciting thrill ride that is one of the best games this year. I'll reserve judgment till the end of the year for what I think is my choice for game of the year. From the writing to action to open world nature, inFamous truly is the namesake of the company that created it. 5 out of 5 Sucker Punches!