This week I reviewed Infamous 2 for TVGB. Check that out here; it's a really fantastic game and easily one of 2011's best. But I've got some problems with it, the sort of problems that I don't thinkbelong in a critical look at the title. More personal stuff about what I wanted out of the game.
As I say in the review, Infamous 2's good/evil dynamic is too black and white. Put simply you'll have a good playthrough and an evil playthrough, no Mass Effect middle ground, and a lack of any real tough decisions. But this is only the beginning of the game's karma-related problems.
Sucker Punch have given main hero Cole MacGrath a personality in the sequel, and it's for the better too. Cole moves from a moody Batman-type hero to a much more likable, quick-witted character more akin to Spider-man. In a good side playthrough, the protagonist will feel a little too angry at times, but in general stays in line with his karma side. He'll hear out both sides of the evil/good choices, sometimes sounding a little too optimistic on the evil side, but you'll believe this guy can be a noble and selfless hero.
It doesn't work quite the same for an evil playthrough though. Infamous 2's cutscenes, for the most part, play out exactly the same regardless of karma rating. Cole will rise to the challenge of facing The Beast all the way up until the end of the game, where the only real decision you can make is presented. All the way through an evil playthrough, you'll find yourself asking why a selfish, menacing Cole would bother doing half of the things he does.
Couple this with the idea that you could be continuing Cole's evil path from the first game and it's disappointing that he's considered little more than a public menace by the end of the game. Throughout two games of dastardly deeds, and I'm no more villainous than a Saturday morning cartoon villain. Even the final act has an element of justification to the ultimately horrific action you perform.
Put simply, I want to be a bastard, a complete and utter bastard. I want to be telling Cole's "friends" to shut up when they suggest something stupid, I want to be ruining the city for side missions and I want to be reaping the rewards of destruction. I can rob banks and kill the police with ease, so why don't I?
Instead what we get is an "evil" Cole that midway through the game mentions that the people of New Marais "deserve a break". And then I went back to stealing blast shards off of them, detonating bombs around the city and attacking street performers. Oh yeah, and that's real evil, hitting street performers. Hitler watch out; Cole's about.
It's a missed opportunity to say the least. The chance to be comic book hero or comic book villain, what could be a more perfect concept for a game? Cole's sharp mouth and "cool guy" attitude ultimately betray his own actions.
It doesn't add up. Infamous 2 is a blast to play and packs a great story; it's definitely one of my favorite PS3 games, but it falls short of convincing me that I can truly be good or evil. In reality, it's good or Dennis the Mennace; the lightning bolt of justice or a slingshot in your back pocket and a cheeky laugh.
I have no problem recommending the game to anyone, but if Sucker Punch are to make another sequel they should perhaps refer to the book of Mass Effect.
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