lightnin' coming from my arse > infamous > review

Good PS3 exclusives don't come around that often. Killzone 2 may have, in fact, been the last one. But InFAMOUS can certainly be added to that elite company. It was released within the same month as it's dopleganger Prototype (another openworld superhuman on a rampage game) and the fantasticly awesome Red Faction: Guerilla. But even with all the openworld genre competition, InFAMOUS does a lot right to stand out.

The story is about a bike messenger who inadvertantly destroys the city with a parcel, and as a result, becomes Emperor Palpatine. That means you have control of lightning...able to manipulate electrical currents and power sources to your will. In terms of gameplay, this means you will have the lightning equivalent of pistols, shotguns, and rockets. But these also feature lightning's unique property of spreading though the objects and characters surrounding the impact. This creates for a visually powerful effect, even if the lightning's splash damage is a bit weak. In addition to these basic powers, you'll aquire the ability to "grind" powerlines, glide through the air, and even resurrect the games multitudes of innocent bystanders. Depending on what choices you make throughout the game, slanting you "good" or "evil", you will gain access to unique powers. The end result is you are a Raiden-like thunder god who can use your powers for good or ill. You will also get the ability to quickly scale pretty much anything in the gameworld like a parkour legend, and in this gameplay mechanic the game will feel almost like a platformer at times. And it is in this depth and variety of gameplay that InFAMOUS becomes an addictive experience.

Tech-wise, the game is rock-solid. Unlike most openworld games, InFAMOUS is dense with detail at every corner. The architecture is varied and well thought out, each building giving you unique gameplay opportunities as you figure out how to scale it. The character models are also well detailed (for the genre), and quite varied as you will encounter tons of NPCs on the streets. Other little details that were impressive included lighting effects in both atmosphere and destruction, detailed textures, and the draw distance which feels pretty much limitless.

What you end up with is a sandbox to essentially be a superhero or supervillian in. The given choices and missions never allow you to be too evil, but you can kill civilians by the hundreds if you choose to do so, draining their lifeforce to power yourself. And not to spoil anything, but you aren't the only super-dude in town, and your showdown with these powerful opponents create for some fantastic encouters and twists. The combination of solid platforming, lightning-based "gunplay", and fabulous graphics make this one a blast to play from beginning to end. Highly recommended.