Vampirolol
Member
I need an excuse to buy a PS4 so is this game good? Is the open world any fun?
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Infamous: Second Son |OT| Smells Like Beanie Spirit
- Thread starter BurnOutBrighter
- Start date
I may need need to edit it, because it only does so if you're in an area with tons of destructible. (DUP towers, auto turrets)
WeAreStarStuff
Member
This is the most fun I've had with a game in a long time. My save progress says I'm at 64% with the story, and I'd recommend this game to anyone.
I've used it plenty of times in those areas, and I haven't seen it drop into the single digits.
Baldwin_the_First
Member
Any side quests in the world?
Nubian Star
Member
Yeah you do if it says Limited Edition on the boxart.
So yeah it looks like it.
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-ca/prod...spx?path=75eb8cc145df257fa3b7dcf6df4544ecen02
fluffydelusions
Member
How many hours has that 64% equated to?
Sounds like a game worth playing.
Thanks.
Why is everyone already plyaing it?
Someone on Ebay was selling it early.
Why is everyone already plyaing it?
cause they got lucky! lol I still gotta wait till amazon ships my this coming week.
Kssio_Aug
Member
Niice!! At least we will get some impressions!
Yeah! I just did my Amazon Purchase. However it was a 50 and a 10 dollars gift card, I'm going to pre-order it right now and guarantee the extra content. =P
Disclaimer
I'll start by saying I wasn't thrilled with inFamous 2. The stretching of the single power set and the lackluster melee combat made the overall experience a bit bland and repetitive. The addition of user generated content was welcomed but personally I wish the time spent on its implementation was instead used to strengthen core mechanics. Nearly 3 years later with much of its content under wraps, we have inFamous: Second Son.
Back Issue
An Origin Story
Welcome to Seattle
Sucker Punch has only slightly improved on the open-world in Second Son. Sure, there's more to do in Seattle (split by districts [Map Spoiler]
) but the side activities aren't very compelling. Mostly of the go find this, defeat them variety, Second Son isn't paving the way for bold and new side activities. The scope doesn't seem that much greater from inFamous 2 but the city is much more dense and detailed. While not as unique as other high profile franchises, the separate sections of the city have their own feel with a realistic approach that seems appropriate for Second Son's art direction. Pedestrian and traffic amount isn't heavy but enough to make SP's Seattle seem lived in. The addition of specific people living in set districts helps add to the illusion.
Sounds of the City
Sound design is on par with the art direction in Second Son from the patter of rain on a rooftop solar panel to the thump of a smoke projectile hitting a D.U.P. soldier. The powers have a unique sound design that accompany and support the visuals extremely well. The music in particular was a very pleasant surprise for me. It has a very "Seattle" feel ranging from identifiable grunge hits played low in a cutscene to instrumental alt-rock pieces placed here and there.
Enjoy Your Power
The power sets have certain roles built into them, which both helps and hurts the system. Smoke is a more close quarters power set with a charged shotgun-type ability mapped with a held R2 trigger pull, semi-auto standard attack with R2 tapped, rockets with R1 and grenades with L1. L2 is shared across sets as zoom. I felt more encouraged to dash (O input) in and out of groups switching between melee and ranged powers in smoke while neon with its heavier long range sniper-type abilities kept me at range and on the move with its super speed and wall running. While this is great on paper, the nature of Second Son's brief combat doesn't exactly lend itself to switching between sets (only achievable by physically finding the resource in the world [ex: smoke pipe, neon sign]) mid-fight for 90% of the enemy list or heavy attacks from tougher enemies would be enough to interrupt my switch or even kill me before the switch was complete if I wasn't careful. So while a power might have the role I want to play, what ends up happening is whichever power I was using for traversal ended up being the power I'd use and stick with until completely out of recharge options in combat. And it's a hell of a lot easier to get around with neon than smoke. The issue is exacerbated by certain fights that lock you into one power or another. It seems so strange that a game filled with positive feedback communicated to the player about getting a new power or trying something new would end up forcing you into using just one for a considerable chunk of time.
Core abilities for each power are introduced and gained through core relays guarded by the D.U.P. that Delsin must break open and absorb. From that point all future upgrades for the power are done through the skill tree with certain abilities or effects being tied to karma and all costing various amounts of collectible blast shards. Districts in Seattle all have a semi heavy D.U.P. presence ranging from vehicle patrols to rooftop sentries. Each district has a D.U.P. mobile command unit (the trailers...from the trailers) which when destroyed allows the detection of blast shards and controls mission unlocks, jamming stations/towers block radar. It's pretty standard open-world design we've seen from other games. Despite some of the grudges with being in a power set longer than I'd like, the combat is simple yet satisfying regardless of which power you're using. But the system really shines in large encounters where you can dig in and go through your entire toolkit.
Heart-Shaped Box
Overall Second Son is a step up from inFamous 2 in most of the ways that matter. It stumbles a bit with its supporting characters, has a serviceable plot and the overall cohesiveness of the power sets/switching doesn't quite gel perfectly. But what it does well, it excels at. Something I kept coming back to during my playthrough was how well the different departments at SP knew what atmosphere they were trying to achieve. It's so well realized and reflects just how much passion and talent these folks have for what they do. While not perfect, inFamous: Second Son is another crucial step forward towards the full realization of what Sucker Punch are trying to do with this series. Excited to see what's next.
I'll start by saying I wasn't thrilled with inFamous 2. The stretching of the single power set and the lackluster melee combat made the overall experience a bit bland and repetitive. The addition of user generated content was welcomed but personally I wish the time spent on its implementation was instead used to strengthen core mechanics. Nearly 3 years later with much of its content under wraps, we have inFamous: Second Son.
Back Issue
Without going into too much detail, the events of inFamous 1 and 2 have changed the world. Individuals with powers (conduits) are among us but as expected not everyone is willing to co-exist with such a large potential threat to mankind. Immediately after inFamous 2 as an attempt to control and prevent conduits (called "bio terrorists" by those seeking to demonize them) from using their powers against the populace, the D.U.P. (Department of Unified Protection) was created to seek them out and imprison them. In the years leading to Second Son the D.U.P. have gained traction and funding. They've left conduit affected cities in hostile police-states while maintaining extreme efficiency in their mission, regardless of the means.
An Origin Story
Second Son at its heart, is a super-hero origin story. The hero discovers or gains his powers from an external event, a conflict arises and he finally overcomes it for better or worse. The story hasn't changed much but beanie and button-clad Delsin Rowe has replaced Cole McGrath as our leading man. Second Son greatly benefits from the roster change. Delsin, (voiced and mo-capped by Troy Baker) offers far more personality and emotion than the series has previously seen. While Second Son has a better script on the table, it hasn't compromised that familiar comic book feel. Baker and Sucker Punch convey a fantastic sense of joy and discovery as Delsin gains and builds upon his powers. That sense of discovery translates exceptionally well to the player during Delsin's journey thanks to tight pacing and absolutely incredible visuals. Unfortunately depending on how slowly you progress the story upon reaching the city, (first few missions fill out your core abilities) the momentum can fade into a brief albeit worrying echo of the past. Delsin, accompanied by his older brother Reggie form the major pillar of the character relationships in Second Son with conduits and other characters weaving in and out. The two actors play off each other well with light character development while sadly other characters introduced don't receive much attention past their introduction. The lack of development makes the final act fall a bit flat while the brothers' relationship has just enough gas to make it to the end of their arc, although perhaps not quite deserved.
Welcome to Seattle
The sun reflects off the rain-soaked streets, the populace moves about their day under the watchful eyes of the D.U.P. from a nearby checkpoint. A monorail car approaches overhead, nearby buildings, trees and track are lit by the front lights as it passes. The rear set leaves a faint glow as it disappears in the distance. Second Son is gorgeous. The attention to detail and atmosphere achieved by SP here is matched by few other developers. While some form of a live day/night cycle is expected of open-world games at this point, SP made it a point to control the lighting and weather for each set "chapter" (there aren't official chapters, just time of day/weather changes locked to mission progression). The visuals speak volumes as to whether that choice was for the best. The effects for the powers are arguably the best in the business at the moment. It appears a careful balance was attempted for the available power sets to keep everything looking great while not overshadowing or outdoing each other and it's mostly successful. Although I'm not sure anything in the game beats smoke's orbital drop. While each looks unique a bit of visual influence from the other is applied to certain moves to add a connected feel. It's a nice touch.
Sucker Punch has only slightly improved on the open-world in Second Son. Sure, there's more to do in Seattle (split by districts [Map Spoiler]
and 2 islands in total
Sounds of the City
Sound design is on par with the art direction in Second Son from the patter of rain on a rooftop solar panel to the thump of a smoke projectile hitting a D.U.P. soldier. The powers have a unique sound design that accompany and support the visuals extremely well. The music in particular was a very pleasant surprise for me. It has a very "Seattle" feel ranging from identifiable grunge hits played low in a cutscene to instrumental alt-rock pieces placed here and there.
Enjoy Your Power
Coming from a place of semi-negativity with inFamous 2 I was surprised to enjoy the combat system in Second Son. I still feel the melee system is lacking but the feedback from hit detection and animation feels much improved. However one area Second Son falls on its face is the non-lethal hero approach. It's not satisfying to throw a smoke grenade and tap triangle for every coughing soldier in the area or to target shins in neon. The powers included have an innate gravitation towards violence and death that it just feels better to let loose and enjoy the carnage. It seems like many of the non-lethal options were included to be an added skill test but you just end up frustrated with how careful you need to be with people that are trying to kill you. While the same basic concept has been here since inFamous 1, it feels wrong here or in need of change. Trust me, be evil.
The power sets have certain roles built into them, which both helps and hurts the system. Smoke is a more close quarters power set with a charged shotgun-type ability mapped with a held R2 trigger pull, semi-auto standard attack with R2 tapped, rockets with R1 and grenades with L1. L2 is shared across sets as zoom. I felt more encouraged to dash (O input) in and out of groups switching between melee and ranged powers in smoke while neon with its heavier long range sniper-type abilities kept me at range and on the move with its super speed and wall running. While this is great on paper, the nature of Second Son's brief combat doesn't exactly lend itself to switching between sets (only achievable by physically finding the resource in the world [ex: smoke pipe, neon sign]) mid-fight for 90% of the enemy list or heavy attacks from tougher enemies would be enough to interrupt my switch or even kill me before the switch was complete if I wasn't careful. So while a power might have the role I want to play, what ends up happening is whichever power I was using for traversal ended up being the power I'd use and stick with until completely out of recharge options in combat. And it's a hell of a lot easier to get around with neon than smoke. The issue is exacerbated by certain fights that lock you into one power or another. It seems so strange that a game filled with positive feedback communicated to the player about getting a new power or trying something new would end up forcing you into using just one for a considerable chunk of time.
Core abilities for each power are introduced and gained through core relays guarded by the D.U.P. that Delsin must break open and absorb. From that point all future upgrades for the power are done through the skill tree with certain abilities or effects being tied to karma and all costing various amounts of collectible blast shards. Districts in Seattle all have a semi heavy D.U.P. presence ranging from vehicle patrols to rooftop sentries. Each district has a D.U.P. mobile command unit (the trailers...from the trailers) which when destroyed allows the detection of blast shards and controls mission unlocks, jamming stations/towers block radar. It's pretty standard open-world design we've seen from other games. Despite some of the grudges with being in a power set longer than I'd like, the combat is simple yet satisfying regardless of which power you're using. But the system really shines in large encounters where you can dig in and go through your entire toolkit.
Heart-Shaped Box
Overall Second Son is a step up from inFamous 2 in most of the ways that matter. It stumbles a bit with its supporting characters, has a serviceable plot and the overall cohesiveness of the power sets/switching doesn't quite gel perfectly. But what it does well, it excels at. Something I kept coming back to during my playthrough was how well the different departments at SP knew what atmosphere they were trying to achieve. It's so well realized and reflects just how much passion and talent these folks have for what they do. While not perfect, inFamous: Second Son is another crucial step forward towards the full realization of what Sucker Punch are trying to do with this series. Excited to see what's next.
LilWayneSuckz
Member
How do people who've been 360, PC or Wii only (i.e. never played an Infamous game) last gen feel about this game?
A co-worker who's never played an Infamous game and was 360-only last gen is buying Second Son on Friday.
A co-worker who's never played an Infamous game and was 360-only last gen is buying Second Son on Friday.
the_batman
Banned
i'm a playstation only guy and have played Infamous 1 and 2, didn't like them that much. i'll probably wait on this one unless it turns out to be amazing.
I pre order my collectors editions months ago when it first poped up on amazon can't. I kinda wish amazon would mess up and send the game early. lol
Wow, great write-up. Nicely balanced between praise and criticism. Kudos.
Fantastic review DrBo42, thanks for posting it
Cheers.
Krappadizzle
Member
Great review DrBo42. Nice to see impressions from someone that isn't a die hard fan of the series. Thanks for writing that up.
Nightengale
Member
Good review.
Where's the
score?
How will you cause a shitstorm against your opinion without it? =P
I don't know, I think scores are kinda silly. It should be clear from the write-up that I enjoyed the game despite the flaws. At least I hope so...I wrote it kinda fast.
Pound_lb003
Member
Are you wanting to go back and play more? That's the only question that matters.
I've been up for 24 hours so I want to do nothing but sleep. When I wake up? I'm going through on evil per my own advice.
dark_prinny
Banned
This GIF is amazing, since the other thread was closed I'm posting it here
Credit to Psycho_Mantis
Evil has been more fun so far. I didn't realize how destructible the world was outside of DUP buildings until I started playing with zero restrain and a complete disregard for pedestrians. Wanton destruction is a blast.
1.21Gigawatts
Banned
Don't buy a Vita just for remote play. Its nice if you want to have some short sessions in the bed for example, but usually you want to play on your TV because games just look better on the big screen and backtouch for L2/3 and R2/3 isn't ideal.
But if your also interested in the Vitas games, or Ps1/PSP backlog, then go ahead. Its a great device.
This GIF is amazing, since the other thread was closed I'm posting it here
Credit to Psycho_Mantis
R3TRODYCE
Member
Good point, I guess I'll have to research its software library a bit before I pull the trigger.
Nightengale
Member
I know, I'm kidding. Reviews without scores are ideal, imo.
MR ARCADE FOREVER
Member
Mother of God.... Can't wait to climb up on that towerThis GIF is amazing, since the other thread was closed I'm posting it here
Credit to Psycho_Mantis
Pound_lb003
Member
To me, that's the most important part of a review. Yeah, evil looks a ton of fun with popping laser people.
This GIF is amazing, since the other thread was closed I'm posting it here
Credit to Psycho_Mantis
I undecided on what I'll do first, good or evil. I've never actually finished an evil playthrough of the first two games. I guess I just didn't like hurting people and being a jerk.
Still I feel I should at least try again this time around and these powers feel a bit geared towards destruction this time around. Perhaps I'll do a quick run on evil and make my good playthrough the more thorough one.
The thing about switching to your other powers seems odd to me. I figured you'd just be able to switch when you wanted.
Still I feel I should at least try again this time around and these powers feel a bit geared towards destruction this time around. Perhaps I'll do a quick run on evil and make my good playthrough the more thorough one.
The thing about switching to your other powers seems odd to me. I figured you'd just be able to switch when you wanted.
WeAreStarStuff
Member
The typical take over territory type things. Though I did run into something that I can't comment on that may be a true side story.
I don't know, maybe 10 or so. I tend to play games slower than most as I like to take things in and work on side activities as well.
There was a battle I just had that was unbelievably good.
Are there any "Uncharted 3" like quiter moments in either execution or presentation?
Kssio_Aug
Member
I finished as both at the 1st one, in inFamous 2 I did just hero (not have the game). But what I enjoy most about the evil side is that, to defeat your enemies you dont need to worry about anything, just blow everything up and keep on destroying with everything youve got!
lovely ladies
Member
If you don't mind a used product, there have been deals on Cowboom in the past few weeks for Vitas costing around 100 bucks. Unfortunately, they're not all the same but they are graded according to condition.
anchorman128
Member
Yes, this was the only part of the review that didn't make much sense to me. Was he just not looking in the right places for sources of neon/smoke? Because in every preview I have seen there are multiple sources of both spread throughout the battlefield. Also you can destroy cars for additional sources of smoke. However, seeing as the whole demo was pretty deliberate, the multiple sources of could have just been put there for the demo.
Wishmaster92
Member
I want to know this too!
WeAreStarStuff
Member
Yes.
For those of you that already know the third power; here is me moving (obviously a spoiler
http://i2.minus.com/ilX3lX3biSguU.jpg
purpletentacle
Member
This GIF is amazing, since the other thread was closed I'm posting it here
Credit to Psycho_Mantis
Having been to Seattle many times, this game does an exceptional job at rendering it. And too think, this game isn't just looks! Friday can't come soon enough.