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Infamous: Second Son
Topic Started: May 1 2014, 05:41 PM (223 Views)
TheGreg
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Infamous: Second Son, the third in the Sucker Punch’s popular franchise, is one of the first games to truly demonstrate how the improved technology of next generation consoles can be about more than just shinier visuals.

Second Son utilizes a host of gameplay enhancements over the previous games and uses the Playstation 4’s horsepower to present its open world free of the limitations of draw distance and frame rate.

New series leading man, Delsin (No, not Dhalsim, silly), soars and darts over cityscapes that remain stunningly detailed at all times. Second Son delivers polished visuals and frantic action on a scale that was not possible on previous consoles.

But the gameplay improvements go beyond the visuals.

Second Son overhauls the series’ skill tree and experience system. Whereas in the previous games XP was rewarded for taking down enemies and completing missions, the real currency this time are blast shards.

Shards can be collected by exploring the world and taking down enemy checkpoints and strongholds. The shards are used to purchase upgrades and new abilities.

These new skills aren’t quite as compelling as they could be, but Delsin also gains new powers throughout the game, meaning there is always something to enhance and try out.

The multiple powers and increased emphasis on finding shards encourages exploration and experimentation more than the first two games, and Second Son has a massive, varied world to justify it.

I also admire the game’s handling of side missions, many of which are as repetitive as you would expect, but are also quick to jump into and complete. Plus, the spray painting ones are always amusing.

These side missions are also rewarding, as they serves to increase a karma meter that allows the player to perform a devastating attack when full.

I found myself constantly picking up karma points just to gain these very cool and satisfying finishers. Although, I do have to admit that it’s very frustrating to fill the meter only to accidentally shoot a civilian and have to start over.

Speaking of karma system, it’s a bit awkwardly implemented in that the game seems to really favor playing the game as a good guy, as the decisions are relatively shallow and don’t really make a lot of sense if you go the evil route. There is no subtlety or gray area here.

It doesn’t help that the game’s story is a bit awkward at times, with our main character being a bit too much of a brat. The banter between him and his brother is also a bit tiresome, but there’s nothing terribly offensive. It certainly doesn’t match the mind-bending plot of the original.

I also have to mention that the music sucks. There no other way to put it, it just sucks. The occasionally epic orchestral sound that the previous games were highlighted by has been replaced with the most generic, uninspired rock score you can possibly imagine.

Regardless, Second Son is still a lot of fun, with satisfying exploration, cool powers, and the occasional thrilling boss battle.

Even in spite of its peripheral flaws, this is the best Infamous game to date, and is worth playing whether you’re a series veteran or newcomer.
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