Ever since man could dream, they always desired powers beyond their being. Abilities like flight, x-ray vision and supersonic hearing would all make our hard and sometimes trying lives more manageable and relaxing. As long as humans have dreamed of these superpowers, ironically the only realm where they can truly become reality is in fiction. From comic books to television shows to movies, superpowers and superheroes have captured the hearts and minds of people the world over. Unlike those types of media where you view these unbelievable powers and iconic heroes from a distance, video games immerse one in the world of superpowers and spandex like no other. In direct control of all the action, you are the one soaring over Gotham's streets, catching bad guys in your webbing or thwarting a villain's plans to rule the world. The latest game to give you direct control of these wondrous superpowers is Sucker Punch's Infamous: Second Son.
Infamous: Second Son takes place seven years after the events of Infamous 2. In that time, super-powered humans known as Conduits have been vilified by the government. Known as Bio-terrorists, they are hunted down and captured by the government's special DUP unit. Second Son's story begins when protagonist Delsin Rowe comes in contact with three escaped Conduits. From this meeting, Delsin awakens his dormant Conduit powers which allow him to absorb any power he comes in contact with. Delsin's new powers get him in trouble with the DUP head Brooke Augustine which leads to Augustine unleashing her concrete powers on the innocent people of Salmon Bay. Due to Augustine's actions, Delsin and his brother Reggie travel to DUP-occupied Seattle to absorb her concrete powers in order to heal the people of Salmon Bay. While the narrative hits certain pre-determined points, the player has full control of how Delsin presents himself. Delsin can either be the goody two-shoes superhero or the revenge-driven supervillain. This decision directly affects Delsin's actions, appearance, ultimate attacks and abilities available to customize and upgrade.
The story and karma system may provide initial motivation for the player to combat the overwhelming forces of the DUP and customize Delsin's large set of powers, but both are far from Second Son's best features. The success or failure of every superhero game depends whether the game truly makes the player feel like a superhero or not. With four powers to play with and tons of ways to enhance and upgrade those base powers, Infamous: Second Son succeeds at putting you in the shoes of a superhero. The powers easily take centre stage in Second Son as they are your primary tools for combat and exploration. Each power is suited for different play styles. For example, neon is best suited for long range sniping and video is perfectly designed for stealthy approaches to combat. Each power is fleshed out and fun to play, but each person will find a favourite among the four powers available. This writer's personal favourite is neon because of the incredible speed, the ability to slow down time during combat and the precision sniping.
The powers would not be as fun as they are without a fully realized world to use them in. The virtual sights and sounds of Seattle are Delsin's playground in Second Son. Compared to current more grandiose open world sandboxes like those found in Grand Theft Auto V or the Batman games, Seattle can feel a little lifeless and bland at times. While you are not overloaded with tons of optional missions to tackle or additional attractions to experience all at once, Seattle offers enough side missions, collectables and random enemy encounters to keep players engaged. Although the lack of variety among side missions can can cause things to get repetitive from time to time, one can easily lose themselves in the ebb and flow of destroying surveillance cameras, collecting blast shards, spray painting buildings and busting drug dealers. A key reason why the Seattle setting is so engrossing comes from Second Son's superb graphics. From the stunningly captured faces of all the main characters to the dazzling particle effects to beautifully rendered cityscape during day or night and rain or shine, the game uses the power of the PS4 to make the world of Infamous more believable and photorealistic. The graphics of Second Son truly shows off the incredible horsepower of Sony's PS4 and brings the city of Seattle to life in a way no game has ever captured before. Seattle may have its drawbacks, but ultimately it is a well made playground that keeps players moving forward in progressing the narrative and the advancement of Delsin's powers.
Infamous: Second Son may have some great features and content, but there are a few areas where this game falls short. The tedious nature of the side mission, which sees the same six missions repeated over and over again throughout all of Second Son's world, really holds back Seattle from being held in the same regard as classic open world sandboxes such as Batman's Arkham City, Grand Theft Auto's Liberty City or Spider Man 2's New York. This repetition limits the replay value of Second Son as all but true completionists will have their fill finishing only the side missions they run into during their first playthrough. Some may be inclined to play Second Son again to experience the differences between playing as a superhero or supervillain though the story does not excite even the first time around. Sadly after the opening hours, the story falls into a pattern of introducing a new Conduit with a desired power, gaining said power and searching for core relays to unlock new abilities. Along with the repetitive story structure, none of the other major characters are fleshed out to the point of caring about them or downright hating them outside of Delsin and Reggie. Even Augustine, the antagonist of Second Son, has barely any character development until the final moments of the game. The lack of character development and repetitive story points makes the plot feel like it is going through the motions to move the player from one objective to the next. The karma system is no better as it forces the player to one path rather than experimenting between being good or evil. One action that is opposite of your current path, even if it is an accident, will completely derail the karma combo needed to use ultimate karma bomb attacks. Also the major choices of the game lack weight as they are always between two extremes instead of multiple shades of grey.
Although Infamous: Second Son may have some flaws in terms of narrative, variety and choice, Sucker Punch's open world adventure succeeds where it counts. Second Son truly makes the player feel like a superhero or supervillain as they are in full control Delsin's powers and evolution throughout the game. It also succeeds as a technical powerhouse that perfectly shows off the power of the PS4's graphics processors in the most crucial early stages of this new console cycle. Overall, Infamous: Second Son is one of the best games currently available on the PS4 and a worthy addition to anyone's library.
The story and karma system may provide initial motivation for the player to combat the overwhelming forces of the DUP and customize Delsin's large set of powers, but both are far from Second Son's best features. The success or failure of every superhero game depends whether the game truly makes the player feel like a superhero or not. With four powers to play with and tons of ways to enhance and upgrade those base powers, Infamous: Second Son succeeds at putting you in the shoes of a superhero. The powers easily take centre stage in Second Son as they are your primary tools for combat and exploration. Each power is suited for different play styles. For example, neon is best suited for long range sniping and video is perfectly designed for stealthy approaches to combat. Each power is fleshed out and fun to play, but each person will find a favourite among the four powers available. This writer's personal favourite is neon because of the incredible speed, the ability to slow down time during combat and the precision sniping.
The powers would not be as fun as they are without a fully realized world to use them in. The virtual sights and sounds of Seattle are Delsin's playground in Second Son. Compared to current more grandiose open world sandboxes like those found in Grand Theft Auto V or the Batman games, Seattle can feel a little lifeless and bland at times. While you are not overloaded with tons of optional missions to tackle or additional attractions to experience all at once, Seattle offers enough side missions, collectables and random enemy encounters to keep players engaged. Although the lack of variety among side missions can can cause things to get repetitive from time to time, one can easily lose themselves in the ebb and flow of destroying surveillance cameras, collecting blast shards, spray painting buildings and busting drug dealers. A key reason why the Seattle setting is so engrossing comes from Second Son's superb graphics. From the stunningly captured faces of all the main characters to the dazzling particle effects to beautifully rendered cityscape during day or night and rain or shine, the game uses the power of the PS4 to make the world of Infamous more believable and photorealistic. The graphics of Second Son truly shows off the incredible horsepower of Sony's PS4 and brings the city of Seattle to life in a way no game has ever captured before. Seattle may have its drawbacks, but ultimately it is a well made playground that keeps players moving forward in progressing the narrative and the advancement of Delsin's powers.
Infamous: Second Son may have some great features and content, but there are a few areas where this game falls short. The tedious nature of the side mission, which sees the same six missions repeated over and over again throughout all of Second Son's world, really holds back Seattle from being held in the same regard as classic open world sandboxes such as Batman's Arkham City, Grand Theft Auto's Liberty City or Spider Man 2's New York. This repetition limits the replay value of Second Son as all but true completionists will have their fill finishing only the side missions they run into during their first playthrough. Some may be inclined to play Second Son again to experience the differences between playing as a superhero or supervillain though the story does not excite even the first time around. Sadly after the opening hours, the story falls into a pattern of introducing a new Conduit with a desired power, gaining said power and searching for core relays to unlock new abilities. Along with the repetitive story structure, none of the other major characters are fleshed out to the point of caring about them or downright hating them outside of Delsin and Reggie. Even Augustine, the antagonist of Second Son, has barely any character development until the final moments of the game. The lack of character development and repetitive story points makes the plot feel like it is going through the motions to move the player from one objective to the next. The karma system is no better as it forces the player to one path rather than experimenting between being good or evil. One action that is opposite of your current path, even if it is an accident, will completely derail the karma combo needed to use ultimate karma bomb attacks. Also the major choices of the game lack weight as they are always between two extremes instead of multiple shades of grey.
Although Infamous: Second Son may have some flaws in terms of narrative, variety and choice, Sucker Punch's open world adventure succeeds where it counts. Second Son truly makes the player feel like a superhero or supervillain as they are in full control Delsin's powers and evolution throughout the game. It also succeeds as a technical powerhouse that perfectly shows off the power of the PS4's graphics processors in the most crucial early stages of this new console cycle. Overall, Infamous: Second Son is one of the best games currently available on the PS4 and a worthy addition to anyone's library.
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