What makes a superhero? Is it the desire to do the right thing no matter the cost? Is it the superpowers? Is it sheer tenacity and willpower? As a long time comic book fan, I know the answer can be skewed depending on the hero and origin storyline, and sometimes their current situation. I also have to admit, in recent years, the lines between hero and vigilante have blurred immensely in the eyes of readers and video game players. A lot has been done to define the moral compass of heroes, but then there are games like inFAMOUS, daring to challenge the very core of what is good versus what is necessary. inFAMOUS 2 goes this extra step to make it even harder to play only one side of the hero/villain coin.
Cole McGrath returns as the main character, however players will notice the different voice over work, and the game begins with a mission from the end of the original title. The mission – defeat the Beast. With nothing to go on, Cole and his best friend Zeke meet up with Lucy Kuo. She claims to know how to help Cole with his mission with the help of her friend, Dr. Sebastian Wolfe. Eager to find a way to stop the impending Beast, they set out for New Marais, but before they head out something appears in Empire City. What happens in the opening moments of the game is something so significantly defining you must experience it yourself to grasp the depth in which Sucker Punch has constructed Cole as the character he is through your actions.
Once the world of inFAMOUS 2 opens up for players to explore, they will realize three things. The powers Cole had at the end of iNFAMOUS have carried over in one capacity or another. Controls are the same as before. Sucker Punch has once again given players a gaming world with plenty of side missions and collectibles to keep them busy parkouring for several hours. In addition to powers from the previous title, players will be able to choose whether or not they bring their save files over to the second game. While it may not provide as much depth as BioWare has with the Mass Effect titles thus far, just having a character not depowered, replaced, or something equally lame to "challenge veteran players," is rewarding. For this simple act, I have to commend Sucker Punch for not treating gamers like invalids.
Even though you won't start the game as a weakling doesn't mean you won't be exploring ways to make yourself stronger. In the beginning of the game, it appears that you are just expanding upon your electricity abilities. After all, Cole is the electric man so why wouldn't you? However, as you progress you will be unlocking new power elements altogether. For example, you can unlock ice, and with this new power you will be able to do a multitude of things in the same way you can with electricity. With the new karma specific abilities, where ice is for good karma and fire is for bad, Sucker Punch has given players an additional reason to play through the game on the opposite side of karma.
While in the first title the karma choices didn't seem to affect the overall game, other than a few different powers and a change in electrical color, inFAMOUS 2 has brought a little more diversity in the way the game plays out. Ultimately, you will reach the same point, and you will find yourself encountering a similar situation, but in more than one instance the direction you take changes the way you experience the rest of the game. The power differences are the biggest example of this.
No comments:
Post a Comment