Post by The Chupster on May 29, 2009 15:45:08 GMT -5
Frickin' wow.
So this month, two incredibly similar-yet-not quite similar games launch: InFamous and Prototype. There are a lot of arguments over how similar they'll be, with a lot of people bitching that they aren't that similar, but fuck- when you're talking about having a guy with powers in an open-world quarantined city, how different can you get?
Well, no idea yet- but while Prototype has a week and a half before it makes it to stores, InFamous is out, and I have this to say to you all.
If you have a PS3 and you don't have InFamous, you are really, REALLY missing out.
In a nutshell, InFamous takes elements of Crackdown, Assassin's Creed, and Uncharted: Drake's Adventure and meshes it all into one of the best adventure games I've ever laid my hands on.
As soon as the game starts, you get a healthy portion of storyline that- shock of all shocks- DOESN'T suck. You're a guy in the middle of a city devastated by an unknown explosion- an unknown explosion that gives your character electricity-based powers. And from there, it just gets awesome.
Your powers grow as you go depending on your moral compass- help people out and you're good, make selfish decisions and you're bad, typical stuff. You start off with three powers: a lightning shot, a lightning blast that has more of a radius to it (and drains you more accordingly), and a jumping lightning ground pound that nails everything in a radius depending on how far you fell.
But that's not all! The real hero of this game is the control scheme. It's PERFECT. It's responsive, it's tight unlike anything I've ever seen before; it's a true joy to play. And a large part of that is how your character moves.
If there's a ledge of any sort, you can climb it. If it's a pole, you can walk across it. And the computer aids you with all of this; there's no worrying about falling due to losing your balance. You're a badass superhero/villain, and by God, that means you can wak a tightrope with ease! You can jump off the top of a building, land on a power cable and run across it to the next building with no problem at all, thanks to a computer-assisted navigation system that ensures that you go where you're trying to go.
If you miss a jump, it's on you, but it's simplicity itself hop onto beams and highwires and run your way across with no problem. But at the same time, the computer isn't doing it FOR you; it's simply assisting you enough to make the control scheme absolute precision-perfect. Effectively, it's the evolution of the climbing system originally seen in Assassin's Creed, taken and made more fluid, simple, exciting and perfect.
Combat can be handled as you like, firing lightning shots from a distance, shockwave blasts at middle range or throwing out lightning-backed fists and feet at close range. Additionally, there's a cover system, both for ground-based fighting AND for climbing battle- you can jump up onto a ledge and hang from it, pulling yourself up to fire off blasts while keeping yourself from getting tagged by rifle- and machine gun-wielding enemies.
However, you do have to keep in mind that your character is like a battery. You can fire off a zillion lightning shots with no problems. Use the stronger powers like the shockwave blast, and you'll drain your electrical powers more quickly, which you'll have to recharge by draining various electrical power spots located everywhere throughout the city.
And there is no shortage of baddies on your ass. Gangs and civilians will target you and react differently to you depending on your moral decisions.
Of course, there are side missions and story missions to cruise your way through. These are tied together by awesome hand-drawn artwork with some minor animation that gives the story a dirty stylized touch that just ROCKS. And the story doesn't suck, which is amazing in and of itself.
The only drawback is the inability to use weapons during the game. Due to your character's electric charge, he can't interact with explosive elements, like the gunpowder in handguns, so you have to rely on your brawn and your powers- but that is NOT a bad thing.
With Prototype a week and a half away, the only thing I can say is, if it comes even close to being as high in quality as this game is, open-world fans will have two of the most awesome games around to celebrate this month. If you have a PS3, pick it the hell up!
So this month, two incredibly similar-yet-not quite similar games launch: InFamous and Prototype. There are a lot of arguments over how similar they'll be, with a lot of people bitching that they aren't that similar, but fuck- when you're talking about having a guy with powers in an open-world quarantined city, how different can you get?
Well, no idea yet- but while Prototype has a week and a half before it makes it to stores, InFamous is out, and I have this to say to you all.
If you have a PS3 and you don't have InFamous, you are really, REALLY missing out.
In a nutshell, InFamous takes elements of Crackdown, Assassin's Creed, and Uncharted: Drake's Adventure and meshes it all into one of the best adventure games I've ever laid my hands on.
As soon as the game starts, you get a healthy portion of storyline that- shock of all shocks- DOESN'T suck. You're a guy in the middle of a city devastated by an unknown explosion- an unknown explosion that gives your character electricity-based powers. And from there, it just gets awesome.
Your powers grow as you go depending on your moral compass- help people out and you're good, make selfish decisions and you're bad, typical stuff. You start off with three powers: a lightning shot, a lightning blast that has more of a radius to it (and drains you more accordingly), and a jumping lightning ground pound that nails everything in a radius depending on how far you fell.
But that's not all! The real hero of this game is the control scheme. It's PERFECT. It's responsive, it's tight unlike anything I've ever seen before; it's a true joy to play. And a large part of that is how your character moves.
If there's a ledge of any sort, you can climb it. If it's a pole, you can walk across it. And the computer aids you with all of this; there's no worrying about falling due to losing your balance. You're a badass superhero/villain, and by God, that means you can wak a tightrope with ease! You can jump off the top of a building, land on a power cable and run across it to the next building with no problem at all, thanks to a computer-assisted navigation system that ensures that you go where you're trying to go.
If you miss a jump, it's on you, but it's simplicity itself hop onto beams and highwires and run your way across with no problem. But at the same time, the computer isn't doing it FOR you; it's simply assisting you enough to make the control scheme absolute precision-perfect. Effectively, it's the evolution of the climbing system originally seen in Assassin's Creed, taken and made more fluid, simple, exciting and perfect.
Combat can be handled as you like, firing lightning shots from a distance, shockwave blasts at middle range or throwing out lightning-backed fists and feet at close range. Additionally, there's a cover system, both for ground-based fighting AND for climbing battle- you can jump up onto a ledge and hang from it, pulling yourself up to fire off blasts while keeping yourself from getting tagged by rifle- and machine gun-wielding enemies.
However, you do have to keep in mind that your character is like a battery. You can fire off a zillion lightning shots with no problems. Use the stronger powers like the shockwave blast, and you'll drain your electrical powers more quickly, which you'll have to recharge by draining various electrical power spots located everywhere throughout the city.
And there is no shortage of baddies on your ass. Gangs and civilians will target you and react differently to you depending on your moral decisions.
Of course, there are side missions and story missions to cruise your way through. These are tied together by awesome hand-drawn artwork with some minor animation that gives the story a dirty stylized touch that just ROCKS. And the story doesn't suck, which is amazing in and of itself.
The only drawback is the inability to use weapons during the game. Due to your character's electric charge, he can't interact with explosive elements, like the gunpowder in handguns, so you have to rely on your brawn and your powers- but that is NOT a bad thing.
With Prototype a week and a half away, the only thing I can say is, if it comes even close to being as high in quality as this game is, open-world fans will have two of the most awesome games around to celebrate this month. If you have a PS3, pick it the hell up!
