InFamous is one of those games that has flitted in and out of my ‘to get’ list, mainly because at times I’ve thought some of the footage looked fairly generic and other times I’ve been impressed with some of the ideas they have in the game.
Following on from generally favourable reviews in the press/blogs, I was looking forward to playing the demo myself and finding out if it was worth picking up the full game when it arrives at the end of the month.
The game opens with a lush visual of the huge explosion that rocks Empire City. From there on the cut scenes are done in a highly stylised comic book format which works really well and looks great in HD.
When the actual game itself started I felt a flush of disappointment. It looked good but not quite as spectacular as I was expecting.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s no problem with the visuals, no slowdown etc, and I soon came to realise that this is a game to be played rather than marvelled at.
The parkour style of getting around was very easy to pull off – just jump in the direction of the object you want to climb and Cole (the main character) will cling to any ledge/pipe etc available.
It’s a good system and works well – repeatedly pressing x to jump will see you scaling buildings in no time. It is almost like the next step on from the parkour controls in Assassin’s Creed, it all feels a bit more natural in InFamous.
Cole’s superpowers are in full effect in the demo, although I believe the full game will have you working you way up to all the powers.
You can throw electricity, create electricity grenades, throw out shockwaves and even perform electrical melee attacks if you can get close enough to your enemy.
Those powers use electricity up from Cole but he can recharge off nearby electrical items by holding R2.
By the time I’d gotten the hang of using his powers and combining them with the climbing abilities my initial disappointment was a distant memory.
The demo gives you a few missions to get to grips with and while they aren’t exactly groundbreaking (defend this / find this etc) they are solid and challenging. They also give you a chance to check out the city Sucker Punch have created.
Depending on your actions through the course of the game the public of Empire City will either love you or be scared of you.
Whether this will intervene in the actual storyline remains to be seen but even the superficial aspect seems interesting.
The biggest praise I can give the demo is that, like Red Faction: Guerrilla, it is great fun. You will be impressed as you shockwave cars and enemies through the air before blasting them with electricty.
InFamous has most definitely just flitted right back onto my ‘to get’ list.
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GregHorrorShow 
I was able to play the demo recently as well and echo your exact sentiments. I plan to pick up the game today, as it was just released, and get a better bearing on the entire story. I am definitely looking forward to it, especially with all the positive press behind it now.
A geat exclusive for the Playstation 3. If the pedigree of Sucker Punch is anything to go by, this should be action/adventure gold. I really need to check this out, like you said the media reaction has generally been pretty positive.
[…] I mentioned previously in my Infamous Demo Impressions blog, this is a game that has blown hot and cold for me as far as interest is […]