Infamous for the PlayStation 3. Graphic / supplied
Third-person sandbox open-world game
Infamous
(Sucker Punch /Sony Rated M) is one of the best on PS3 so far. The tale is such a great story.
A cycle courier has a package go off in his hands, leaves him in a coma and when he comes to finds the city dramatically different. There's a plague, riots, chaos and criminals running wild.
The courier, blamed for the explosion, is a wanted man but the blast has given him superhero powers including the ability to unleash bolts of lightning from his hands.
The introduction and storyline is a puzzle like a chess game built up by a Clint-Eastwood-styled voice over. The plot allows for good or evil natured actions and thus in a
Star Wars
way, your 'Force' powers are unlocked to the tune of hero or villain.
You can restrain, leech life or kill the Reapers (street junkies turned dark side mafia) in Empire City. Special power moves and unique in-game motions such as hanging from buildings, signs, pipes and cover allow for a huge variety of game play. Some moves - such as leaping off enormous buildings into enemies camped around the barrel-fire - result in a stark sense of vertigo.
Citizens lie stricken, wounded all around and starving, cut off by the US Centre for Disease Control under quarantine so the virus does not break out.
The game has moments of
Mirror's Edge
in action,
Crackdown
in the way it manages side-quests and minor elements of
Star Wars Jedi Knight
(minus the light-sabre) in the action. All this combined with a
GTA
-style run-of-the-city scenario, a complex plot and a character defining system that determines your abilities.
Throughout the game, you have morality moments whether you want Cole to be a hero helping the citizens, who are disturbed and sickened by all going on around them, or play the villain and do enormous harm.
This means you can save the city or be evil and continue to aid in its destruction.
Check out this trailer:
While Empire City sounds like
GTA
, it isn't. You cannot enter buildings or cars and all activity takes place on rooftops, parks or - in a
Spider-Man
way - on the sides of buildings. It's more like a cartoony platform game - leaping from tall buildings and climbing around parts of the cityscape.
The side missions feel new and the mini-map is unobtrusive and easy to use, although the game appears to have a complex battle engine.
The animation is impressive, with physics really extending the depth of the environments. Also breathtaking are the sound and visuals which make full use of the Dolby capabilities of the console and harnesses the hi-definition features.
With a strong narrative, perfect controls, intriguing missions and the multitude of possibilities created by such an open world, Infamous is one of the best titles to emerge on PS3.
After many nights playing, I'm still loving it.
MadGamer rating: 9 / 10
Auditors PwC: Cited disruptions to operations from that IT upgrade.