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Games : Recommended
Ranking:
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Release Date: March 21st, 2014 Movie Release Year: 2014

Infamous: Second Son

Overview -

'Infamous: Second Son' is the latest release in the 'Infamous' franchise, a series that originally got its start on the PlayStation 3 about five years ago. Developed by the now Sony-owned Sucker Punch, the open world games allowed players to reach super-powered havoc on the PS3. Come March 2014, and 'Infamous: Second Son' stands as the early PS4 title that can boast the most sizzle.

OVERALL:
Recommended
Rating Breakdown
VIDEO
AUDIO
Tech Specs & Release Details
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p
Audio Formats:
LPCM 5.1
Release Date:
March 21st, 2014

Video Review

Ranking:

Visually, Sucker Punch has built a vibrant version of Seattle that's a breath of fresh air compared to the previous Infamous games. In addition, the large sandbox world runs smooth as silk and load times are at a minimum when quick traveling around the city. The physics engine is also very well designed making it easy for the player to zip around rooftops without worry. The frame rate is rock solid, ideal when taking on 10+ enemies at once. 

However, the most impressive aspect of the visuals has to be the lighting and particle effects when it comes to the powers. Sucker Punch did a fantastic job giving each ability a unique look. Character models are also quite detailed, but the facial animations during the cutscenes look just slightly off at times. They convey the emotion of the moment just fine, but there was something about the eyes that drove me nuts. 

Audio Review

Ranking:

If you played 'The Last Of Us', you will immediately recognize the voice of Delsin Rowe. Troy Baker definitely does his best to bring the incorrigible Delsin to life, but it feels very awkward at times. Perhaps it's because Baker was phenomenal at 40-something Joel in 'The Last of Us' and voicing a 20-something teenage rebel seems a bit out of character. Interestingly, Travis Willingham's character, Reggie Rowe, was more believable and provided a much needed balance to Delsin. The voice work on the other characters is solid, but the script isn't fantastic. 

For any hearing impaired gamers that rely on subtitles, beware of an strange subtitle bug that overlaps text from the in-game news reports on television stations with text from someone that calls Delsin. The voice audio defaults to the most recent action, but the text starts to overlap lines from two different actions into one very confusing conversation. I noticed it when reading along with the subtitles a couple times.

With four different sets of abilities to create, the sound effects team did an excellent job creating a unique set of sounds for each ability. Directional audio is also used extremely well in Second Son and that's vital when Delsin is swarmed by D.U.P. agents. It's also fun to hear the PS4 controller speaker play sounds like ringtones; it actually caught me a bit off guard in an entertaining way. In regards to the score for the game, it definitely sets the mood. However, there's nothing really memorable about it. You won't be humming anything after playing for a few hours.

Depending on your perspective, the biggest strength or flaw of 'Infamous: Second Son' is that Sucker Punch doesn't evolve the series significantly. If you simply want more of the same, 'Infamous: Second Son' is definitely on par with the first two games in the series and is a solid adventure. If you were hoping that Sucker Punch built significantly on the sandbox world and offered up a bevy of new options like an advanced morality system or a number of branching story paths, you are going to be sorely disappointed. But overall, it's a fun ride and definitely a welcome addition for anyone transitioning from the PlayStation 3 to the PlayStation 4.