Infamous 2

Infamous was a great game. It took the sandbox genre (which I considered championed originally by Grand Theft Auto 3) to a different level. No longer were you a thug trying to become a made man, but now a superhero...or villain! It totally set itself apart from the standard games in that field.

A few years later, and now we have Infamous 2. The original game, as far as game mechanics, at least, was not really groundbreaking. Infamous 2 sticks to that trend as the system is basically the same as the first game. Now, don't get me wrong, that is far from a bad thing.

If you've played a sandbox game like the GTA or Saint's Row series, you know the standard controls and camera views. It's all about the 3rd person action here. Of course, Infamous tosses out car driving and jacking as the main character, Cole, is electrified and any car he drove would seemingly explode.

Cars aren't needed, though. Presumably, due to the superpowers and years as a courier, Cole is pretty fast on his feet. He can also climb exceedingly high buildings very fast and drop from heights without any damage--once again likely due to his superpowers and possibly a monkey back in the family tree.

Traveling in Infamous 2 is such a blast, especially, once you get a few travel power upgrades like Ice Launch (Firebird Strike if you're evil), Induction Launch, and Lightning Tether. You get Lightning Tether near the end, but it's pretty nice. Sadly, it's not very conductive to jumping into combat; though, and it cannot be selected with Ice Launch/Firebird Strike with is a bit inconvenient to the flow.

Another change from Infamous traveling was the removal of charge when using Induction Launch (i.e. traveling over electric lines). Not too big a deal, but a slight disappointment.

Combat is solid, for the most part, and pretty much a pull over from the original game. The targeting system can be a bit loose at times if multiple enemies are around, but it works out in the end. The worst part of the combat is the "large" enemies. This is for two reasons: 1) No variety and 2) Cinematic death.

These enemies are novel the first 2-3 times, but once you're fighting them for the 25th time? Not so much. There is only one way to kill most of them, so you have to stick to the same pattern. Then, when they die you're treated to a nice "take camera control away" for around 5-10 seconds. There's no way to skip these, and again, after the 25th time, it's a bit annoying and tedious.

The story starts off with the main antagonist (mentioned at the end of the last game), the so-called Beast, attacking New York Empire City, and taking a page from every other sequel where you play the same character by beating you to a pulp and stripping you of your powers.

And soon enough you're on your merry way to New Orleans New Maris with the Beast hot on your tail. And by hot, I mean extremely slow. After each story mission, you're informed of how much closer he is, but it never really feels like a big threat to worry about.

Luckily, New Maris has its own Edwin Edwards with a dash of Billy Graham with Joseph Bertrand III, the leader of the local Militia and thorn in your side as you build up your powers in preparation of the Beast's arrival.

All in all, it's an entertaining story, and the moral/ethic system returns for another round. Unlike the original game, the good or bad decisions do actually have some functional effect (outside of powers obviously) on the story. You work with one of two companions depending on your choices, and while I won't spoil it, the endings for each side significantly effects the story unlike the previous game where it didn't really matter that much.

Of course, powers are affected again by your good or bad choices. If you're good, you'll get ice based powers, and if you're bad, you get fire powers.

And finally, the characters are nice even if a bit two dimensional; other than Zeke. That's right, you're right hand man is back for this game with his silly antics and Elvis looks; however, he this character feels as though he has more depth than previously displayed. And he brings the humor to the game! An all around entertaining and strong character.

Cole, the protagonist (in case you didn't know), is actually pretty much the same with little to no depth thanks to the moral system. Since you can choose to be good or bad throughout the missions, he really can't have one or the other type of personality without diluting your choices and thus you're left with a very bland main character. It's very minor; though, and shouldn't kill the fun for anyone.

The other supporting characters, as mentioned with the 2D aspect above, are pretty set in their ways. Your evil companion is evil (at least to a degree) and your good companion is good. Though, at the end, the good companion does do this odd switchoroo on you that seems completely out of character, and is honestly the only complaint story-wise I have. It was just a bit jarring for a character that seemed pretty set in her ways.

Outside of the main story and quests, you get your choice of side missions (which are really necessary if you hope to unlock all the powers and upgrades) or user created missions. I didn't really do the user created missions after attempting a few as I didn't really find them all that fun nor did they add anything to the game. The side missions are fun enough albeit incredibly repetitive.

You're also given "random" events that pop up throughout the city which are the definition of repetitive that tries to use the moral system as well. For example, you find a bomb and you can either disarm it or let it explode.

And the collection side this time around is the good old dead drops just like the original game's satellites, but no longer static (but just a bit less) in the form of messenger pigeons. Adds a little extra story if you collect them all. Of course, Blast Shards. Tiny, little items scattered all over the city, and there are over 300 of them. You collect them in increasing multiples of ten (10, 20, 30, etc.) and collecting the required amount increases your energy. I'll be the first one to admit they're a bit addictive to collect since you have a power that makes them flash on your mini map, and it's always just one more!

Overall, I had a great time playing Infamous 2. Like the original; though, I don't really plan to play it again. In this case, I actually borrowed it over buying it because of that reason alone! There is some DLC coming out; though, that may bring me back depending on what I hear about it! I do recommend playing it if you loved the first, and if you haven't played the first one; then you should play them both!