Preview: inFAMOUS: Second Son

It’s been a couple of months allowing the dust to settle on the release of the Playstation 4 and after the initial hype and excitement it is fair to say we are still waiting for that game that we can truly class as next-gen. Of course Killzone looked amazing graphically but the gameplay was very much something we had all gone through before in many first person shooters. Knack, well Knack is another game that whilst fun to play really had nothing in it that made it feel next-gen. Come March I am hoping this will all change with the release of Infamous: Second Son.

Infamous could be the first game on the PS4 to really bring something different that I feel this new generation needs. Sucker Punch have once again been working hard on the third console entry in the main series, and while the first two titles had Cole McGrath as the main character, this time it’s a fresh start with a new central character, Delsin Rowe. There is also a new playground with Seattle the location being used, the first time a real world location has been used. The game is also set seven years after the good ending in Infamous 2.

Second Son will follow the open world style of the first two games, as expected the scope, detail and scale of this world is set to be vastly increased on the new Playstation hardware. The abilities that Delsin can use are also more diverse, he has the ability to absorb the power of other conduits in the game, so far only the ability to absorb smoke and neon have been confirmed. The potential is there to have a near limitless supply of abilities. Powers such as electricity, water, heat, cold could all be implemented into the game and all be used on the fly to tackle varying enemies and situations, something that would give the game more replayability with many ways of completing the same objective.

Also returning is the karma (hero or villain) mechanics utilised in the first two Infamous games; again with the extra power of the new hardware your decisions could have more of an impact on how you progress through the game. For me the karma is a great element that gives the player the choice in how they want to play the game. Do you want to be a super hero, using your new found powers for good, or do you want to use your power for personal gain? Infamous gives you that choice.

The world itself looks to be much more realistic than the previous instalments – gone are the slightly jagged graphics that were the limitations of the PS3 hardware and are in some very impressive and far more realistic ‘real world’ graphics. The lighting and water effects look incredible so far, and the facial animations of Delsin are light years ahead of what we saw on Cole.

Had Sucker Punch managed to get this game finished in time for the PS4 launch date then I have no doubt that this would have been the stand out game of both of the new consoles, as it is we are having to wait a couple of months with the game currently scheduled to be released on March 21st. Infamous will also be the first next gen only retail release since the consoles launch at the end of November.

I am fully confident that this game will be a huge success and a step up from what is currently available, unlike many of the games available at the moment this has been designed and built from the ground up solely for the PS4. I am predicting that this Sony exclusive will be the first must own title that can truly show off the power that this generation will be capable of.