inFamous 2 Review

The tag itself gives you a little insight into the review or on the game as a whole. Sucker Punch delivered a defining experience with Infamous, with a credible storyline, a not-so-norm cast of characters, and the choice of morality. And, they do it again, though it may feel like a déjà vu at times.

Looking at the game as a sequel, it doesn’t feel very different. Which is a good thing, as well as bad. It doesn’t bring anything new to the table, rather just improves on what was already there. One of my main concerns with the original was the enemy AI. It was just too perfect. They could shoot from miles away, and not miss a shot. But in the sequel, it has been dimmed down a bit and gives your character the feel of superiority.

The story picks up right from where it ended in the first game. Kessler prophesized that something called the ‘Beast’ is coming and it is up to Cole to stop it. It is his destiny. The problem is that Cole is not powerful enough to take on this apocalypse. That is where most of the story lies for the sequel. There is a small, not so relevant, side story involving Cole and Zeke; his best friend and biggest betrayer, as Zeke tries to correct his mistakes from the first game. You don’t have to play infamous to understand the story as it is cleverly narrated at the beginning of the game.

The game begins with a BANG, pitching Cole against the Beast. It is precise to say that Cole is overpowered by the Beast and is stripped down of all is powers. He barely escapes and makes his way to New Marias. Zeke and NSA Agent Lucy Kuo, help Cole find Dr. Wolfe; the man responsible for developing the Ray Sphere, as it is the only chance they have to bring down the Beast.

The City of New Marais is one just like Empire City. There are a couple of sky scrapers, there are people walking and cars driving down the street and there are thugs, which in this case is the Militia. Enter Bertrand, the leader of the Militia and a purist, who believes that conduits are evil and has branded Cole the ‘Demon of Empire City’. Not that there were bigger problems at hand, the militia are spread all across the city to hunt down Cole. The basic bunch of Militia are machine gun wielding thugs, while some are more powerful with Rocket Launchers and Mini-guns. Adding to the mix are monsters that look like something the developers took out from Dead Space. They aren’t too difficult to defeat, but larger enemies do cause fatigue as they have hardened shells to bounce off Cole’s strikes. Cover plays an important part of the game, especially in area that don’t have power to recharge Cole. Use it wisely.

Cole’s main powers are his lightning bolts, blasts, grenades and rockets. Pressing R1 to aim, each of the face buttons have a different power. All lighting powers can be upgraded to Level 3, which would make Cole a beast itself. The arrow keys have special powers, one of which is the Iconic Vortex. The gives Cole the ability to launch a Electrical Tornado that will sweet everything in its way, and is useful for larger groups of enemy. Cole can only carry upto 3 special powers at once, and can be collected from dead enemies. Even if Cole is a little power than the thugs, cover is important in almost all cases. Filling every block of the Karmic meter gives Cole a few boosts. These vary according to the path you choose in the game. Nonetheless, playing as Evil Cole is fun.