What I Think Of: inFAMOUS: Second Son.

Friday (3/21) marked the release of the first real "must-have" game for the PS4 with inFAMOUS: Second Son. Many people purchased a PS4 specifically for this game (myself being one of them). So let's talk about Sucker Punch's newest game. I will avoid spoilers as best I can. Keep in mind, I've only put a few hours into the game but according to the game percentage screen, I am about 1/4 of the way through the story at this point.

Smoking can be harmful....to your enemies.

You play as Delsin Rowe, an Akomish Native American from Washington who is your basic graffiti spraying delinquent. As the game opens, you hold your PS4 controller sideways, point the reticle at the screen, pull R2 and spray your first tag on the world. It's a pretty cool use of the controller and the spray paint can sound coming out of the controller speaker only enhances the coolness. This becomes a gameplay mechanic since you can add graffiti to specified walls throughout Seattle, which can either raise or lower your karma depending on which image you choose to paint.

Second Son takes place in 2016, 7 years after the events of the last game and follows the heroic ending of inFAMOUS 2, though you really don't have to know that to enjoy the game here. The main thing that happens between games is that the Department of Unified Protection (D.U.P.) is formed to hunt down and capture the remaining Conduits (or as they refer to them: "Bio-Terrorists") by any means necessary.

Finish Him!

One day a convoy of Conduits crashes on your reservation and your brother, Reggie (who is a local sheriff and spends most of his time arresting Delsin) sets off to help any injured civilians or help track down Conduits to prevent them from escaping. One of these Conduits, Hank, is trapped under the wreckage and as Delsin helps get him free, he inadvertently absorbs Hank's powers and memories, turning Delsin into a Conduit.

You chase down Hank until you both get caught by the head of the D.U.P. Brooke Augustine, who is, herself, a Conduit with concrete powers. Hank is captured and Delsin is knocked unconscious. You wake up a week later to find your tribe ravaged by Augustine and her powers, the only way to save your tribe is to go to Seattle, find Augustine, absorb her powers, and undo what she did.

Flame on?

So that's the setup and you start discovering your smoke powers early on, smoke bolts, smoke missiles, gliding, etc. You do get other elements along the way that basically do the same things with different cosmetic treatments. All are useful in different situations and it is fun to traverse the beautiful city of Seattle.

Alright I have gone this long without mentioning this, so I am proud of my self-control. But: holy crap this game looks good. I will go on record and say that this is one of the best looking games I have ever played. Right up there with Skyrim. The way Delsin animates, even down to his fingers, is a technological marvel and this is the true next-generation experience.

This is in-game! Seriously!

So there are the positives: Looks phenomenal, it's fun traversing the game world, nice little diversions to keep the action from getting too monotonous, and overall just a cool experience so far.

Now for some negatives (no game is perfect, after all): The karma system still feels tacked on and doesn't have much bearing outside of the seconds immediately following your decision. The idea of a morality system is neat but it just doesn't seem that well implemented here. Though it is kinda cool seeing the logo on your jacket change depending on which side you're going down.

Troy Baker always seems to find work. That in and of itself is not a bad thing, Baker is a top-notch voice actor (Bioshock: Infinite, The Last of Us, Saint's Row III and IV, Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins, etc.) But when I hear Delsin talk, I hear Troy Baker, I hear all his other characters. Again, I love Baker's work. He, Nolan North, and Phil LaMarr are my favorite voice actors. Just feels like something is a little off here.

Side Note: He is an incredible Joker. Want proof? Check this out. The laugh will haunt you.

No, I've got the power.

Those little things aside, inFamous: Second Son is a very enjoyable and fantastic experience that any PS4 owner already owns, and if you have been on the fence about jumping into the next-generation, this should be the game that SHOVES you over the line. This game is awesome and well worth your time.