You see while Cole does possess a number of powers bullets still hurt him, a lot, and even the lowliest of gang members display unnerving accuracy. Perhaps it is a good thing that the draw distance is not awe inspiring so enemies a block away don’t generally exist yet.

 

 

In honesty the game does manage to render the majority of the cityscape in some depth but cars and pedestrians are able to blink into (and out of) existence on occasion.

 

 

One of the most talked about element of the game is the rather stringently imposed morality system. At first these choices seem quite reasonable but quickly descend into the ludicrously polarised.

 

For example the scene when you are forced to choose between telling man his wife is dead, or to shoot him in the face (sorry electrocute him - Cole can’t use guns something about gunpowder and electricity). The system is an arbitrary way to choose between the two divergent stories as they move towards their shared conclusion. You pick one story and follow it through. There is no reward to mixing and matching good and bad you simply do one or the other.

 

It is not 'Fallout 3', it will not construct you an individualised narrative for the actions you have taken in the game. Cole is a comic character and this is his origins story, pure and simple. All you do is choose if he is to be a hero or an antihero.

 

 

The stars of the game are Empire City and Cole. The ambient noise of the city, its sense of place and Cole’s development and movement are what give the game its character. It’s a good thing too, as the supporting cast are wholly unlikable, with sub par voice acting. This does bring with it the unexpected advantage that you are happy to follow the dark path, as little attachment is formed with any of the NPCs.

 

Your choice of good or evil does more than simply effect in game cut scenes. It dictates which skill tree you unlock. If you are good powers tend towards precision and capture (or ‘being dull’). Where as the evil powers give you devastating abilities with wide blast areas and no regard for the general populous. I followed the later on my first play through and found 'force pushing' cars down the street and over random passers by to be more satisfying than anything I have yet experienced on my second play through.

 

 

"InFamous" is simply fun. It sucks you in. You forgive the rare glitches because up until the point they happen you are genuinely happy to be playing. Content to be lead through the outlandish story the game takes you on (twice). The start of a new superhero with enough scope to be an interesting character, set against the backdrop of a world which is fun to exist in.

 

 

+ Great sound and graphic
+ Scaling buildings and movement is very satisfying
+ Wide variety of side missions

 

- Weak characterisations
- Glitches in the scenery become frustrating
- Moral choice is just a tech tree