Is inFAMOUS: Second Son the PS4 exclusive to rival Titanfall?
The first inFAMOUS game was arguably one of the defining titles of Sony’s last generation console and Sucker Punch succeeded where so many have failed by following up with a fittingly brilliant sequel. From what we’ve seen of inFAMOUS Second Son on the PS4 so far, this could be the best instalment yet.
It’s still the same sprawling open world, platform action at the core with elements of RPG and duck-and-cover shooter thrown in for good measure. Sucker Punch aims to keep the franchise fresh with a new protagonist, a greater emphasis on the morality system that has so far underpinned the series and a gorgeous new location.
The fictional surroundings inspired by real-life cities in the first two games are now replaced by Seattle, the city closest to the US-based development team. Visitors will be able to pick out familiar landmarks like the Seattle Science Center and the famous ‘gum wall’ while the landscape is littered with nods to the previous games like the brilliantly named ‘Cole’s Electronics Store’.
Watch the inFAMOUS: Second Son trailer from E3 2013
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Visually, the environment looks stunning. If you thought Killzone: Shadow Fall demonstrated the PS4’s graphical superiority, inFAMOUS Second Son further impresses thanks to subtle lighting and minor details like the reflection in rain puddles as you run through the dark, which create a world with character and an atmosphere you can really buy into.
Events for Second Son are set seven years after inFAMOUS 2 where Cole MacGrath’s actions in the New Orleans-inspired New Morais lead to the fallout that now sees the oppressive Department of Unified Protection (D.U.P) try its best to shackle the superhuman conduits, including our new protagonist Delsin Rowe.
In his mid-twenties and dressed in denim jacket, hoodie and beanie hat, Rowe is the kind of unassuming hero where his allegiance to the good or bad is left fairly ambiguous. His smoke-fuelled powers might not sound as brutal as Cole’s electric skills, until you learn that Delsin has the ability to absorb powers from other conduits like his accomplice Fetch (Abigail Walker) adopting her electrical neon powers to zip up walls and fire laser projectiles.
Meeting Fetch is where our hands-on time begins and you must choose between the heroic and ruthless path. The former leads to Rowe taking Fetch under his wing, searching sea boats to uncover and destroy drug stashes. Take the ruthless route and you’ll be tasked with hunting out an activist leader, turning Fetch into a remorseless killer.
Dropping you into the heart of the city, the map radar in the bottom of the screen will point you in the right direction, pinpoint D.U.P officers and other points of interest. You are, of course, free to roam the streets of Seattle giving you plenty of time to wander around and appreciate the level of detail that has gone into the new environment.
Over on the left of the screen, you’ll find power reserve gauges and life bars although this build was set up to let us take as much damage without dying. GTA-style, there will be side missions and what is expected to be around 20 hours of gameplay although we didn’t get to sample how those side missions will look and play out.
Approaching the waters (which you can’t swim in by the way) in the heroic level we have our first encounter with the hordes of highly armoured, gasmask-wearing D.U.P officers. Enemy AI in previous games didn’t really make a great impression and is something Sucker Punch has clearly tried to address. They’ll no longer lay in wait as you try to hide up on a rooftop to pick them off. They too have special afflictions to hunt you out, whether it’s flying up the sides of walls or setting your feet in stone to slow you down.
In the Ruthless level, Rowe and Fetch roam the rooftops across a series of locations around the city interrupting demonstrations against the government’s treatment of conduits to find the leading activist who is also well protected. There’s plenty of opportunities to put the new combat system and get a sense of how the story could develop as Rowe ends the tunnel shootout by holding his hands up in front of an D.U.P stranglehold.
Combat can be approached from short or from a distance and up close feels very Arkham Asylum in close quarters. The melee combat system doesn’t feel drastically different from the button bashing in inFamous 2, although there are attempts to freshen things up. Now you can zoom into individual enemies and choose whether to go for a fatal headshot of incapacitate by aiming for the ankles. It’s yet another way to develop the morality system by giving you the option to choose how to treat every individual you encounter in the game.
There’s a greater variety of weaponry as well powered by Rowe’s borrowed powers like a laser sword and the ability to shoot laser projectiles. We have to admit, we will miss being able to throw cars down the street Crackdown style. When you are taking a beating, the screen will lose colour and like Uncharted, you’ll need to back off and retreat to recover life.
Controls don’t shy too far away from previous games. L1 and R2 control Rowe’s smoke-fuelled powers, L2 lets you zoom into the action and in the build we played through, the R1 trigger was left inactive. Square is assigned to the melee combat, X is to jump or can be double tapped to jump higher and circle lets you to dash or climb buildings.
Triangle is assigned to the new Karmic actions. Hit this and decide whether to subdue (Triangle) or execute (Square) D.U.P officers. The DualShock 4 Touchpad also gets some love. Push down and pull down to drain the neon lights from street signs or suck up the smoke from chimneys on the top of houses.
It works well we just don’t know how necessary it was include but it seems we can expect more interesting uses of the DualShock 4 controller later in the game. Rowe’s movement on ground and parkouring from one building to the next is Assassin’s Creed-esque and if you are struggling, the neon powers will let you zip up buildings making getting around so much easier.
First impressions
The first thing that hits you about inFAMOUS: Second Son is just how good it looks. From the close up facial animations to the recreation of the Seattle landscape this could be the most gorgeous PS4 game yet.
Story-telling is one of Sucker Punch’s strengths and it’s difficult from what we’ve played to know how things will play out, although there’s a strong sense that the arc will be shaped by real-life themes and concerns. The gameplay mechanics feel well executed and combat is surprisingly slick with enough variety to stop it from feeling repetitive.
Whether it can match the kind of freedom that GTA 5 has now become the pinnacle for open world games only time will tell, but there are plenty of positive signs. Fans of the inFAMOUS franchise will be encouraged by what we’ve played through so far and has all the hallmarks of being a standout title for the PS4.
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