Video Game Review: Infamous (2009)

June 11, 2011 / Leave a Comment

INFAMOUS

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
JUNE 11, 2011

With “Infamous 2” releasing this week for the Playstation 3, my pick for Video Game of the Week is the first installment of the significant money-making game franchise, “Infamous.” I may be a little late to the party, but I played this game a couple of years ago, upon its release in May 2009. It was the first game I bought for the Playstation 3 that didn’t come with the system (“Resistance: Fall Of Man” and “Motorstorm: Pacific Rift”). Not only was I experiencing the graphics of the Playstation 3 on my new HD television, but I was blown away by the vivid definition and detail in the characters and the setting.

“Infamous” is a wildly addicting game. Playing as Cole McGrath, a bike courier who is at the heart of an explosion that destroys the entire city, Cole develops powers unlike any video game before its time (“Prototype” came out a month later and was practically the same game). His abilities involve electricity coursing through his body. Though most of his abilities rely on the energy sources around him (like streetlights, televisions, metro tracks, and electrical boxes), the man has some sweet maneuvers.

Zapping people, good or bad, is entirely up to the player, creating a truly unique game experience and allowing different endings and occurrences. There is a story to follow as you get deeper and deeper into other parts of the city and what caused the explosions. You are also more than welcome to meander around the town and take up side missions, clear out areas of bad guys, or blast people for fun. Much like an electrified version of “Grand Theft Auto,” “Infamous” takes the sandbox gameplay to a new level, allowing the player to climb up the sides of buildings, slide from building to building across electrical wires, and even blast down the city’s tram tracks.

The gameplay gets harder and harder the further you get into the game, but as you continue in the story, you gain new abilities that make defeating the growing threats a little bit easier. By the end of the game, you practically have to use all you have learned to defeat the final boss. Do not take time off from playing the game, or you may forget some of the specials. Beating the more brutal bad guys or even the final boss becomes impossible, and you must restart the game to relearn the skills.

If “Infamous 2” is anything like the first game (which I am sure it will be), it will win my vote again for Video Game of the Week. But until I run into some money, I am afraid I will either have to wait the long wait to rent it or wait the even longer wait of earning some extra cash. Either way, I look forward to playing the newest installment and reliving my first Playstation 3 endeavor. Now, I will finish posting this and play a little “Infamous” to see if I still have the skills two years later.