inFamous Review

Sony's big spring exclusive, inFamous, is here. Is it the lightning storm people were hoping for? Or is it nothing more than a minor shock? Read on to find out.

• A great open world environment spanning across three huge islands.


• Vertical platforming à la Crackdown which allows you to climb anything you see and provides multiple ways to take out your enemies.


• A plethora of different powers at your disposal giving you many choices when deciding how to kill enemies.


• A vast number of side missions is sure to add hours to your playtime.


• All the powers you unlock can be upgraded to cause more havoc and chaos in the streets of Empire city.


• The karma system allows you to choose who you want to be, and whether your character will be good or evil.


• Specific powers for each side of the karmic scale provides replay value and reason to go through the game more than once.


• As far as sandbox games go, inFamous is one of the best looking titles out there with crisp graphics and excellent draw distance.


• Fantastic character animation for the protagonist, Cole.


• The comic book style cut scenes provide a unique view on the story.

What's Not:

• Although a minor complaint, pop-in is very prevalent throughout your time in Empire city.


• There can be serious frame rate issues when large battles are taking place.


• There is little to no variance in the three islands you traverse. All the islands are extremely similar.


• Enemies and NPCs have very rough animations.


• Voice acting is not very good.

The Verdict - Buy:
If you are into sandbox games, inFamous is a game for you. With three huge islands to explore at your will there are hours upon hours of fun to be had. The game does start off pretty slow, but once you get going the action is nothing short of fantastic. As you progress you unlock new powers, and these new powers can be upgraded to become even more deadly. By the time you reach the end of the game you'll have no less than seven unique powers with which to destroy those who oppose you. This keeps the combat fresh and entertaining. On top of the well done combat there are plenty of side missions and hidden items to find, which add hours to the life of a single play-through. There is also plenty of reason to play through inFamous again with many of the powers being specific to your karma status.

However this title, like all sandbox games, is not without its problems. You will encounter pop -in and frame rate issues at various times, and I've even had the game freeze on me, though only once. The AI also needs work. On many occasions I came across NPC's getting stuck in the geometry and simply walking in place until they reset and continue on their journey. Enemy AI is a little better, but still far from perfect. I've seen them do similar things that NPC's do, and even try to bee line it to my position, not realizing there is water separating us, only to jump in the water and kill themselves. Another month of polishing definitely would have helped inFamous, but none of these issues are game breaking. My major complaint would be the three islands themselves. While each has a specific area that is different than the other islands, they are for the most part extremely similar. It's not uncommon to feel lost because the building you are climbing looks exactly like four or five buildings you've climbed before. It would have been nice to see a little more variance in the landscapes.

All in all, inFamous is a must have for fans of the sandbox genre. This title has drawn many comparisons to Crackdown, and rightfully so. The vertical platforming is almost exactly what you found in Crackdown. The comparisons stop there, however. These games are very different, and inFamous deserves to get it's own spotlight. The few minor issues I have with inFamous are all far outweighed by the good aspects. The story is told in a really interesting fashion, and it's actually a story I felt drawn in to. And the gameplay i s a lot of fun and kept fresh by the many upgradeable powers. If you own a PS3, you should own inFamous.

Find more inFamous reviews at TestFreaks

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