10 Thoughts On…the Infamous 2 Demo (Sony PS3)

A little over two years ago I reviewed a game by the name of Infamous. I thought the gameplay was a lot of fun, but that the story was poorly written, shallow, and eye rollingly bad at times. Still, at the end of the day I gave the game an “Above Average” score and felt it was worth playing, but nowhere near the hype Sony gave the thing. My fellow Diehard GameFAN staffers, like Ian and Chuck, wholeheartedly agreed, and at the end of 2009, Infamous wasn’t even remotely considered for our end of the year awards – not even as a nominee. Now it’s 2011 and Sucker Punch is bringing us Infamous 2 on June 7th. They also have provided Sony gamers with a demo, and it was one of the first things I snagged from the PSN store once it went up… besides review copies and DLC I had codes for but was unable to access. After finishing the demo, I decided to whip up a quick ten thoughts about my experiences with it and if the game is a step forward or backwards from the original game.

1. Wow, that is some bad voice acting to start off. The new Cole’s voice really grates on the ears. Kuo’s voice is equally terrible. It’s mumbling with a lisp. Voice acting across the board in this game is some of the worst I’ve heard in years. How did these people get cast? Then again, looking back at my review of the first Infamous, the voice acting was pretty bad there too.

2. The game looks decent. Character models are underwhelming. Sucker Punch seems to have a noticeable issue with long hair, and so everyone in the demo, male or female, is sporting very short hair… or no hair at all. I have to admit, I was hoping for an improvement on character designs, but I actually think people looked better in the first Infamous. Cities, however look better. There’s a lot of detail and colour that was missing from the first game, so I’m happy to see that. Finally, who drives slower than one can walk on uncrowded streets? This annoyed me in the first game and it’s just as bad here.

3. They’ve added a finishing move to melee combat. It’s cute, but pointless. I did it a few times, but it got old fast. There also doesn’t seem to be a reason to really do it. Of course, this is just a demo, so perhaps in the full game, it will give extra XP, a small recharge of your powers or something.

4. The map in the demo is awful. It’s mostly gray, white and black, but none of the actual markers match up with the design or colour of the legend. For example, the legend says a waypoint should be a purple dot, but on the actual map, it’s a white star. How on earth could the game make that big of a mistake? That’s bush league, even for a demo. At least this only appears to happen in the first mission in the demo. By the time you access the next one, things seem to be fixed. Because of this, I’m really hoping this is a demo issue only. If not, things are pretty sad.

5. The plot of the good aligned mission basically has Cole looking for a Macguffin when the lab of his friend, Wolfe, explodes. Cole comes to make sure he is okay, Wolfe remarks that Cole looks just like Kessler, but the game then continues to sidestep the whole “Cole IS Kessler” relationship, meaning it’s a whitewash or a bad attempt at trying to not spoil the game for someone who inexplicably picked up the second before the first. Blah blah blah, another MacGuffin in the Ray Sphere Inhibitor that takes away powers, and then a THIRD MacGuffin that makes Cole more powerful, and so on. Three MacGuffins in less than an hour? Jesus Christ, that’s worse than most fan fiction. Much like the first Infamous, this game is fun to play, but the plot, writing and characterization are awful. Sucker Punch seriously needs to hire someone that can write.

6. What is nice about the demo is that it lets you play missions as both a good aligned and an evil aligned Cole. It’s a nice idea, but without a show of the different powers you get and the choices you make, someone new to the Infamous games won’t get that this has happened. They’ll just think Cole’s lightning has changed colours. Good idea, poor execution. It was nice to see that Cole looks different depending on which alignment you play. Evil Cole is noticeably paler and has a lot of varicose veins.

7. Playing Infamous 2 is exactly like playing the first, but with a few new powers. It’s basically more of the same. No real innovation, just the exact same running around, zapping people and performing missions. If you liked the first, you MIGHT be okay with this. Otherwise you’ll be asking why is it almost exactly the same as the first game and why did we need a second one if that is the case? People that were unimpressed with the original should just stay the hell away and save their money because, again, it’s almost the exact same game. Hell, even the NPCs have the same exact animations.

8. I love that the game rewards you for killing street performers. That’s not the only new mini quest. You can attack people that have blast shards on them, stop kidnappings and other mini activities that don’t count as missions per say, but are very much a part of the game world. This is a welcome change as it means there is always something to do.

9. The missions in the demo were pretty dull. For the good aligned Cole, you have to find an energy core and then get to Wolfe’s lab. There’s also a medical package fetch quest. For the evil aligned Cole, you have to kill everyone in a gang war, then free a sacrificial victim and follow her through a trail of monster thingies. Again, much like the first Infamous, the demo of Infamous 2 is mostly padding and repetitive fluff, and not enough quality substance. I was pretty bored through the whole thing.

10. I found the first Infamous to be an above average game, but nowhere as good as the hype tried to make it out to be. It was an okay, but noticeably flawed, game. Since the demo just appears to be more of the same without any real improvements, I’m aghast and disappointed in Sucker Punch. Infamous 2 just feels like a quick cash grab from the demo. Since a demo is supposed to highlight a game at its best, this is a red flag for me to stay away. I sure won’t be purchasing this thing based off the lackluster demo and I can’t image anyone else who played it will be all that impressed either. If you want to pay $60 for a sequel that is just more of the same for a game that didn’t need a sequel in the first place, I guess Infamous 2 is the game for you. Whatever. It’s your money people.


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39 responses to “10 Thoughts On…the Infamous 2 Demo (Sony PS3)”

  1. Alex Hardie Avatar
    Alex Hardie

    In all fairness, this is as you have said, merely the demo copy. When the full game is released, with the rest of the coding in it, many gameplay issues will likely be ironed out.

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Hardie – I definitely agree with you. I’m sure the final retail version will be better than the demo. However the demo was such a turn off to me that I’m going to wait until the price drops dramatically before picking I2 up instead of getting it right away.

      A good demo should draw a gamer in to the point where they can’t wait to drop money on the real thing. This demo however caused the exact opposite reaction from me. The same subpar voice acting and writing in the first game coupled with identical gameplay (now with monsters though!) really turned me off. I was hoping for something that felt like an ehanced version of the first game, but this felt like a half assed “let’s just do the same exact game over again and watch it print money.” to me. That’s not a good sign to me and so I’ll be keeping my eye on the game, but not pulling the trigger to pick it up.

  2. Alex Hardie Avatar
    Alex Hardie

    Lucard- in that regard, i tottaly agree with you. Sometimes it works better if there isn’t a demo. All i can say people is rent it first.

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Hardie – Exactly. That’s why I’m always happy when there is a demo. If it inspires a person to buy a game, then great! If it inspires a person to keep their money, that’s great too. At least it lets a person have hands on experience rather than buying a game on pure faith.

      However, at the same time a demo isn’t always a good example of the final build. I’ve played some demos I enjoyed where the final product was awful and some where I hated the demo but I recieved a review copy I HAD to play through and actually found the final product was great. I’m hoping this is a case of the former and I just had a bad first impression with the demo.

  3. cry more please Avatar
    cry more please

    WoW Alex Lucard, cry more please. All I hear is WAH WAH WAH. I’ve played the demo, and this game is way better than you think it is foo

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Why thank you for that intelligent and articulate rebuttal, person who can’t bother to use their real name or email on the internet. Your many verbose comments about the positives of the demo and what you liked about it have changed my mind completely. It is good to know that your opinion is fact.

  4. Mark B. Avatar
    Mark B.

    So tell us how you really feel.

  5. Joe Hoshar Avatar
    Joe Hoshar

    Wow, lots of incorrectness and negativity in this review… A few points: the purple dot is a custom waypoint not a story one. No error was made there. Second, how can anyone say that the story is shit based off of a demo mission?? Also, complaining that they didn’t change enough??? New characters, new story, new gameplay elements, new online components, new city… That’s a he’ll of a lot more than most game sequels.

    I thought the demo was very good and I can’t wait to pick it up first day.

    Oh p.s. Ign said it had top notch voice acting and rated it 9.0

  6. Travis Avatar
    Travis

    Everyone is entitled to their opinion, though I must say I disagree with you on pretty much every point you brought up.

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Travis – That’s totally cool. I’d love to hear what you actually liked about it.

      Joe – Since you’re given the main plot hook in the demo, you can definitely form the opinion that what is there is pretty bad. Factor in that all the missions in the demo were ones that were ripped right from the first Infamous save for the one monster boss and that’s even more “Second verse, same as the first.”

      As for the “changes,” it’s not really a new story when it’s Cole having to GET STRONGER DBZ style to face the uber evil boss. That’s the same plot as the first game. It’s not a new city when the locale looks like Empire City with a few new building graphics and the running around progresses in the exact same fashion. To me, that’s like saying Super Street Fighter II Turbo is totally new and different from Super Street Fighter II because Akuma was a hidden character and there were super special moves. It’s a whitewash rather than a real change of things. Finally, I’m trying to figure out how you came to the conclusion this is a review when it’s just commentary on the demo. Notice how this doesn’t appear in the review section of the website. Sorry about the confusion if you are new and found us through Google or the like. You had me looking to see if it was posted in the wrong spot!

      Seriously though, let me know what you DID like about the demo. It’s always good to hear a different opnion on something I’ve played. Maybe you got something out of it I didn’t. No worries on the double post either. It happens and I deleted the extra one for you.

      Oh P.S., IGN giving out high scores is as common as someone with the trots having to poop, so that really doesn’t add much to the discussion. :-)

  7. Joe Hoshar Avatar
    Joe Hoshar

    Sorry for the double post^ shitty AT&T network

  8. Joe Hoshar Avatar
    Joe Hoshar

    @Alex, I see what you’re saying. The overarching story, getting more powerful, is pretty similar to inf1, but I’m hoping they’ll throw in a good story with the whole anti-Cole city with rebels and the Militia. Also, I loved the first game, so keeping the core gameplay from 1 makes me happy. I can totally understand how this game would be disappointing to someone who disliked #1

  9. Joe Hoshar Avatar
    Joe Hoshar

    Oh also, things I liked: new powers(I love lifting up cars and throwing them), tweaks to gameplay (thrusters and bolts), and I love the new city. I like the feel of it with the street performers and neon lights.

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Joe – I liked the street performers and the like too. That was one of the positives I listed. I especially liked killing them too. :-)

      The two main reasons I play a video game is for a combination of story and gameplay, so if one sucks it really brings the experience down for me. That said, I did say in the comments to the other Alex that I am hoping this is just a bad demo and not indicative of the final product, but the demo was bad enough that this has gone from a purchase to a “wait and see” or “get it when it drops to 19.99 in six months.”

      I’m glad you liked the first one though. I though the first one was okay. I had a lot of fun with the gameplay, but it started to get too repetitive for me towards the end. Then the ending of “You’re fighting a time travelling you!” just ruined the full experience for me. I’m glad you liked both the demo and IF1 though. It’s possible the series just isn’t a good fit for *me* and I’m fine with that. if other people enjoy it and have fun with it, than that’s what matters.

  10. Joe Hoshar Avatar
    Joe Hoshar

    Yeah, I guess it all just comes down to personal opinion :). Thanks for the conversation, always nice to hear someone else’s thoughts.

  11. Frank Pacelli Avatar
    Frank Pacelli

    Well, it’s all a matter of opinion and I doubt I’ll change yours but I’m inclined to disagree on most of these points.

    1) Voice acting is extremely subjective but I’m inclined to agree. New Cole’s voice isn’t great and Kuo’s just seems lifeless and difficult to hear.

    2) No idea on the hair thing but car comment is kind of silly. They need to go a little slow for gameplay reasons (multiple powers rely on easy access to vehicles) and realism should never take precedence over gameplay. Could they go a little faster? Sure. Do I think it’s really important? Not really.

    3) Things like achievements have spoiled us all as gamers. The reason to use finishing moves is because it’s fun. Some people just like melee combat. Does there really have to be a reward? For what it’s worth, you can use finishing moves to fully restore your energy in the full game.

    4) It’s already been pointed out, but this is a mistake on your part. The purple dot is for custom waypoints. Nothing wrong here.

    5) For what it’s worth, the first and third “MacGuffin” you’re talking about are the same thing, there’s just more than one of them.

    6) I don’t see how this is an issue but sure. To be fair, it is a demo and there’s only so much they can put into it.

    7) You can say the exact same thing about pretty much every sequel ever made. I won’t name any names but a few very popular shooters come to mind.

    8) Yes, the “mini-missions” are an amusing addition.

    9) Inclined to agree, the missions were pretty mediocre. However, I don’t share your opinion that demos generally show off the most exciting parts of the game. In my experience it’s usually the opposite – they save the good parts for the actual game. But who knows.

    10) It’s your opinion and it’s fine you feel that way but I’m strongly inclined to disagree. For one, it is hardly a “cash grab”… the developers have obviously worked hard trying to improve the game but judging by the fact that you posted a comment calling the new city a whitewash of the old one shows that you clearly don’t have an eye for the types of improvements that they focused on. For another it absolutely drives me nuts when people say a game doesn’t need a sequel. What game has EVER actually *needed* a sequel? I’m sorry if you don’t like what you’ve seen so far, but suggesting that we would all somehow be better off if the game were never made is just selfish and stupid. It’s not like you have to the play game if you don’t want, and there are plenty of us that do want to play it. And I have never once played a sequel that didn’t feel like “more of the same” and to be honest that’s how it should be. If you’re looking for a drastically different game experience, try a different franchise.

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Frank –

      1. Good to see we’re starting off in agreement at least. :-)

      2) Oddly enough a lot of people seem to have problem with long hair in video games these days. Trust me when it was not a knock on Sucker Punch alone, but an observation I tend to make in a large open world title when I see this happen. As for the car thing, it is a minor nitpick, but it throws me out of the suspended realism that a game is supposed to put me into. I’d be happy with varying speeds or even if vehicles could try and flee the same way people do.

      3) I HATE Achievements/trophies, so you’re preaching to the choir there. Like I said, it’s cute but pointless. That’s neither negative or a positive – just me noting the addition of finishing moves but how I couldn’t find anything that it does besides a special animated attack.

      4) I still think the non custom waypoints need to be a different colour than white on a gray and white map, and that it is silly to have a legend that doesn’t match up with the actual map colors itself, especially since the demo doesn’t mention custom waypoints. But I digress.

      5) Wait. So the blast core and blast shards are the same thing but with a different name? That’s both good to know and somehow stupid at the same time. I’ll chalk that up to the fact that the writing/story logic in the first game wasn’t very good and it’s the same issue here.

      6) It’s not an issue. More just a point that the demo doesn’t let a newcomer to the Infamous series know about the alignment/morality option. If someone had never played Infamous they’d have no idea the demo was treating them to both sides of the coin. It’d be lost on them. It would have been smart and/or invitivng to mention something about the switching/morality bar to people who were brand new to the series via the demo. Otherwise they miss out on a big layer of the game.

      7) I’d say the same thing about those shooters as well, I have a feeling. :-) I’m very big into innovation and not having a constant feeling of deja vu with a game. I want my sequels to be just different enough that it feels comfortable or familar yet different enough that I can constantly tell the two apart. If it’s just some retouched graphics and a new move or two, it feels cheap or half assed to me.

      8) ANOTHER AGREEMENT, WHOOO!

      9) See, that’s my big problem and the crux of my whole ramble. If the demo is pretty mediocre over all, that what about it is going to make someone want to buy the game? It put me off and if you agree the missions were mediocre, what about it still inspires you to purchase the sequel at full retail price?

      10. See, I’d disgaree with you entirely here. A few visual improvements and a new power or two is a slight upgrade. It’s the equivalent of the yearly roster change for Madden or Smackdown Vs. Raw. It’s not a real improvement over the issues that people had with the previous game (and remember, I rated that one “above average). Also, when I said the game didn’t need a sequel, I meant that the game felt like it wrapped itself up rather nicely. The story of Cole was done. He fought himself FROM THE FUTURE (which is exceedingly stupid to begin with) and any future games would have to inevitably address the paradox of Cole coming back in time to fight himself again. That’s never a good idea. Sequels to stories that hinge on time travel where one faces themself have never turned out well in any medium. It’s the kiss of death, Cole didn’t need a sequel. Now a different character with different powers? That would have been fine with me. The same character with the same powers with the same gameplay and the same basic storyline? That IS a sequel I don’t feel needs to be made and unfortunately is what Infamous 2 felt like from the demo. Doing 95% of the same thing over again? That is a half assed cash grab to me. It’s cool if you are willing to spend $60 on more of the same, but I loathe that. I want a little more innovation and originality.

      Also, I DO have to play a lot of games I don’t want to. :-) That’s part of the job. Sometimes a game comes in that is obviously going to stink worse than a dirty litter box and someone has take it on. I’m not saying that AT ALL about Infamous 2, but trust me, there is a downside to having to the whole getting free games and writing about them deal. I’ll happily link you to a few slices of hell I’ve had to sit through.

  12. John R. Avatar
    John R.

    Alex,
    I respect your opinion, but I strongly disagree with…everything in this review. Like Frank, I’ll list my disagreements with corresponding to your original post.

    1. The voice acting is top notch. I’m a bit partial to Eric Ladin’s voice, so I’m a bit biased there, but Kuo actually sounds alot better than most video game characters, examples would be the characters in Prototype, Mortal Kombat 9, or Batman: Arkham City & Arkham Asylum.

    2. Look up the character Nix in the game. Long hair. Also, there’s more variety in the civilians. For the first time in the inFamous franchise, I saw a black person! Yay :). And I never really noticed the cars being slow, mostly because I don’t pay that much attention to them.

    3. The melee finishers do replace your energy once you buy a certain upgrade, so that’s a plus. Otherwise, they’re mostly eye candy. Then again, the 4-hit combo finishers do have a nice area of effect, kills a few people surrounding you.

    4. There’s no issue with this in the Beta, so it’s probably a demo issue.

    5. I have no idea what in the everloving hell a MacGuffin is, but I’ll play along. Cole collects these Blast Cores to get stronger, getting more powers. The RFI drains powers, and Blast Shards are entirely optional, but recommended, “MacGuffins.” They just increase the amount of electricity you can hold at one time.

    6. Look in the top left. :/

    7. Not exactly. They barely touched on the ionic powers, or even the other variants of power to begin with. Imagine freezing a crap ton of people, picking them off and chucking them into the distance. The core powers remain, but there are sooo many different ones that the demo has barely touched on.

    8. I enjoyed them. It’s a nice way to try and make you get off of the straight path of your Karmic choice. Nice little temptation there.

    9. Aren’t they all? MK9’s demo was just beating up Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Johnny Cage, and Mileena. No real challenge there, even on Extreme or whatever the hardest difficulty was. The beginning mission, going to Dr. Wolfe and getting the Blast Core, is the…second mission, I believe? The Sacrifice is a bit more into the game, but I forget how far. Either way, those are the only two side missions, and they’re…what’s the word? Fillers, but with a positive atonement to them. Think of it like doing something really, really epic and difficult, next story mission offeres a bit of a breather to you.

    10. I don’t necessarily agree that it’s supposed to show off it’s best. It should show off it’s middle. Enough juice to get you into it, but not enough to spoil the entire experience for you. To be honest with you, a good mate of mine won the game from Subway, got it a few days ago. I’ve played the thing, and it’s alot better than the demo. Please believe me when I say $60 is well worth it. To your “unneeded sequel” comment, it’s well needed. Hell, it’s required. Did you not see the cliffhanger at the end? This sequel is a helluva lot better than AC:B. That, good sir, is an unnecessary sequel.

    By the way, nice little resume you’ve got there.

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Frank –

      1) Oh man, I can’t stand the voice acting. That and the writing were my two biggest complaints about the first Infamous and I hated seeing the lack of quality in both of those so far. You didn’t like the voice acting in Akham Asylum? See, I loved that. So it’s obviously two very different set of tastes here.

      2) I WANTED to make a comment on the “Did I see African Americans in Infamous 2?” but there’s no way I could phrase that without someone taking it as trolling.

      3) Thank you! I was trying to figure out what the finishers did. It’s good to know they have some use other than eye candy!

      4) Agreed. I said repeatedly that my issues are probably demo only and that the final build will be better, but still, some of these issues are things that you wouldn’t want in a public sample of a game you’re trying to sell.

      5) A MacGuffin is a writing/plotting term for an object that the entire story has to revolve around. The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are (at least initially) willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is. A good example is the Maltese Falcon. it’s generally an accepted rule of storytelling than a tale can only have a single MacGuffin and to have more smacks of horrible, terrible writing.

      6) I know that and YOU know that, but that’s only because we’ve played I1. If a person has never played I1 and just picked up the I2 demo, they won’t know what that means. The demo glosses over the morality system completely and that’s a huge part of what makes Infamous well…what it is.

      7) See, in that case, a good demo would highlight several of those powers. I’d have included a mission that specifically needed one or two of those new powers to show off to people what you can now do.

      8) Agreed

      9) See, it’s not that the missions were bad, but that they felt exactly like things I did in the first game. Hence, they were boring and dull to me. Again, in a demo for a sequel, I want to see what’s different – not play something that feels exactly like I’m fiddling with the first game all over again.

      10) It’s good to hear that the full game is better than the demo.

      Thanks for the resume comment BTW. I know it’s VERY different from the type of game Infamous is, but at least it shows I have a background in the industry and at least know what I’m talking about.

  13. Davis Avatar
    Davis

    I think its odd you complain about them not spoiling the first game one moment then complain about how it confusing to newcommers the next make up your mind

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      David – both comments aren’t mutually exclusive. The demo is obviously geared specifically for people who have played and beaten Infamous 1. That was one of my big problems with it. For people that haven’t played it, the story, the morality bar and a lot of the gameplay is lost on someone who is brand new to the infamous series through the demo. It’s a very bad choice for roping in newcomers tot he franchise.

  14. Average Gamer Avatar
    Average Gamer

    Alex-

    I have to side with Frank on most of the issues.

    1. The voice acting is different and could be considered to be worse to some, but personally I didn’t even notice the voice acting issue (my guess is as a game reviewer you focus on the smaller issues, as a reviewer should, to review all parts of the game). Personally, I have to say the voice acting in the game is a lot better and more realistic than many other PS3 games I have played.

    2. I personally think the hair thing is a cosmetic change and I’m fine with it, but I also believe it prevents lag due to more complex rendering when a person is thrown (or an action occurs to them). I am glad that Sucker Punch kept Cole more similar to the first game than they originally intended. Finally, I can see your point with the car thing but I am glad they did this because if I wanted to ride a car in the first game, it was 50% of the time difficult to catch on uncrowded streets (a problem Sucker Punch noticeably fixed).

    3. I liked melee in the first game, but I noticed it was too weak. Thus, I am glad that Sucker Punch fixed that with the inclusion on the amp and finishers. Also, I find that your review of finishers (which I can understand is not some people’s cup of tea) forgets to look at the “ohh factor”. Today, I showed someone who had never seen Infamous, the Infamous 2 Demo and the melee finishers were one of the things he loved the most. To some, the audience that the finishers are intended for, they act as a point of visual creativity and interest in the game. It is a cool unique thing that is not commonly found and adds a little pizzaz to fighting in Infamous.And personally I don’t like achievements either, but I know many who solely try to finish them, many people love a goal to try to reach.

    4. I have to once again point out that purple dots are custom waypoints, and as the full map via select is in the demo, so is the full legend. This is mainly the same layout as the infamous 1 map setup. I liked the new city and I have to say it is much different than Empire City. In my opinion, parts of the city looks similar but there is a definite new feel to the city with updated graphics and interactivity. I think you should look at the playable flooded area of the city, which can be seen in trailers and in discussions that Sucker Punch has released on the map development.

    5. I think this point is just an oversight of the devices actual names (RFI, blast shard/core). And I think the lack of explaining the Kessler thing is to prevent having to go over the fist games plot completely/ not spoil it for those who now want to try the first (especially with it being in Sony’s welcome back package for the US). I personally liked the plot of Infamous. I see too many games of “the goal is to overthrow that guy or prevent the US from being invaded/attacked”. That seems to be the plot of every new game and thus the complex but unique plot adds some mystery and wonder to an already cool game like Infamous.

    6. I can see your point but in a demo you cannot let the user try every new power, and with the ability to already try two I feel lucky. I think that Sucker Punch included the evil and good parts for those who would notice or look for it in the demo but I’m sure there will be a tutorial in the game. Plus, without trying specific power, as you said, there was no real need to be any specific morality.

    7.I have to agree with Frank, why does anything need a sequel then. Every shooter made in the last 11 years could fall into the same problem and they do (sigh…). Sequels are made because people loved the first one and wanted a new story but really more of similar things. I can see for those who did not like the first one that this could seem like a waste, but as a person who loved the first one (it was the reason I finally broke down and got a gaming console, PS3) I have been waiting for this for a long time.

    8. I liked the mini missions too (I almost missed it on my play of the demo until I stumbled upon one).

    9. I have to say as I believe Frank said earlier that companies can’t give out the best parts of the game in the demo or why would anyone pay to get the rest. I think that while the missions weren’t jaw dropping or game changing they allowed the user to get used to what powers (and they are new and different, the new bolts and thrusters along with the push power threw me off guard) they have and how to use them (an important part of any intro or demo).I know Sucker Punch makes quality games and the demo showed me that they have dramatically improved the game engine from the first game.

    10. First how was the story of cole done? THE BEAST was the entire reason for the fist game. But back on topic. As Frank said, no game (or movie) needs a sequel, people want more so the developers give them more. While I agree nothing is as good as hype makes it. Infamous was an amazing game, to me and people I know. You may feel differently and I respect that, but you shouldn’t be berating the second game just because you didn’t love the first. If that held true, there would be no more MMOs or Shooters because they really are all eerily similar and have no real plots (or good voice acting). And just wondering what game doesn’t repeat the same challenges over and over (build armies, kill enemy, level up, solve puzzle, etc) I think Infamous 2 is for those who like Infamous and thus is a good game to many, like many other games are too.

    I personally think your review was too harsh and could have been worded with a more objective tone.
    Finally I think your last comment is the reason of all this debate. I think as a reviewer you have to look for all the flaws in the game, its your job and you are only following your job. But I think when one is forced to play games all day, the joy and the wonder of video games drops away as it be comes a job and not a pastime. I think your review reflected that you played infamous as an assignment and that though pattern (of not playing it because you wanted to) was easily evident in your review. I know reviewing is a hard job and don’t envy it. I just think that needs to be taken into consideration next time.

    And I will be spending 60 dollars on Infamous 2 on its release day. Woot!!!

    Hey I think my internet cut out when posting so sorry if this comes up twice.

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Average Gamer –

      1) Honestly it really was some of the worst voice acting I’ve heard in years. But you’re right. When you sit here and play/review sixty+ games a year, the little things not only become more apparent, but they become big things.

      2) Oh, see I LIKED the challenge of getting a car on a crowded street. It simulated traffic wonderfully. When a car is going 1 mile on hour and nothing is around though. I guess that’s me wanting a little more realism.

      3) Agree. Like I said, I thought the finishers were cute and fun the first few times I did them. After a while they seemed to be pointless, but that didn’t take away the initial fun factor.

      4) I’m sure the final game does look and feel different from Empire City. The problem is the demo doesn’t portray that. In fact, it does the exact opposite and this is a discussion on the demo contents themselves, not the full game.

      5) I hate those type of plots too! I disagree with Infamous being well written though. It relies on too many gaps in logic and rational thinking. Plus the whole time travel paradox ruins things completely for me.

      6) See, if you’re going to include examples of both good and evil Cole in the demo, there should be something for newcomers to understand the change or even what the morality bar is for. It’s completely lost on them and this should be an important hook for newcomers. Instead, it’s ignored completely. My big problem with the demo is it’s geared specifically for people who have played and beaten I1 and only them. A demo should be for everyone.

      7) Trust me, I get pissy on most sequels. It’s not just Infamous 2.

      8) An Agreement! YAY!

      9) See, I’ve yet to find a Sucker Punch game I’d call “quality.” They’re above average games, but not ones I fall in love with. Rocket: Robot on Wheels was horrible. The Sly series did nothing for me and the first Infamous started off great and then slowly declined the longer I played it.

      10) It’s not a review. it’s just commentary on a demo. Big difference. But yes, I am pretty harsh. I prety well known for being harsh, so if this is your first time reading me I can totally see why that threw you for a loop. :-) You are right that the longer one works in the industry, the more critical and snippy you become.

  15. HerroRoundEyE Avatar
    HerroRoundEyE

    @ Alex Lucard
    1. Opinion
    2. “Character models are underwhelming” The character models are 1000x better than the first.
    3. “They’ve added a finishing move to melee combat. It’s cute, but pointless.” Meh, I kinda like it, but again …opinion.
    4. “The map in the demo is awful.” Opinion. “The legend says a waypoint should be a purple dot, but on the actual map, it’s a white star. How on earth could the game make that big of a mistake? That’s bush league, even for a demo.” K…that comment was bush league lol. All jokes aside, it’s not that big of a deal, other games have bugs that ruin the entire game, or saves (COUGH brotherhood before patch).
    5. “Much like the first Infamous, this game is fun to play, but the plot, writing and characterization are awful. Sucker Punch seriously needs to hire someone that can write.” I agree that the story is kinda meh, but honestly it’s a sandbox game, most sandbox games (COUGH ASSASSINS CREED) have a pretty bad story (COUGH JUST CAUSE 2) but that doesn’t make them bad games.
    6. “Someone new to the Infamous games won’t get that this has happened. They’ll just think Cole’s lightning has changed colours. Good idea, poor execution.” ….it’s a demo.
    7. “People that were unimpressed with the original should just stay the hell away and save their money because, again, it’s almost the exact same game.” That’s like saying drake’s fortune is the same as Uncharted 2 when in reality UC2 is infinitely better (opinion, I know). It’s the same deal with Infamous, I didn’t really like the first one, but I like pretty much everything about the 2nd one so far. I could NOT get into drakes fortune….but Among thieves had me hooked and I feel like infamous 2 will have me hooked as well. I could go on about more games…like how assassins creed 1 and 2 are pretty much the same game but AC2 is way better but I won’t :O.
    8. Kinda like the random red dead events, yeah it’s neat.
    9. “The missions in the demo were pretty dull.” Again, it’s kinda hard to judge a game by its demo. I didn’t think the missions were boring, although I noticed that the demo automatically keeps the difficult on easy which is stupid….after every mission and cutscene I had to keep switching it back to hard mode >.<.
    10. I completely disagree with you on this one. In infamous 1 could you chuck cars at people? What about swap different types of lightning bolts, grenades and other abilities? Did cole have ice or fire powers? What about user generated content? What about the huge jump in graphics, and the more detailed and colorful environments? What about the fact that coles animations were motion captured and therefore look somewhat realistic compared to the first infamous. And lastly, infamous 2 has ACTUAL cutscenes with REAL facial animations and non robotic voice acting (opinion again i knowz) . "I found the first Infamous to be an above average game" that's weird, I thought it was rather mediocre, although I think infamous 2 looks rather sharp but hey..that's just my opinion.

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Herro –

      1) Well of course it’s opinion. it’s all opinion. it’s all a matter of taste and no two people will have the exact same tastes. As i always say – every game is someone’s favorite and every game is someone’s LEAST favorite.

      2) I disagree. Aside from the amusing street performers, a lot of the models are underwhelming. Kuo is awful and many of the NPCs fall under the same boat. The graphics are a higher definition sure, but that doesn’t make them better. The movement animations are just so…unrealistic at times, it hurts. Especially when you save someone.

      3) Hey I liked it too. You seem to be stuck on the whole opinion idea though. :-)

      4) Agreed that some games have even worse bugs. Fallout 3 is a great example of that. Wonderful game but holy hell did it need several months more in playtester land. Remember though, I’m only talking about the demo, not a review of the game as a whole and I repeatedly say “I’m sure this is just a demo issue.”

      5) Agreed, but story is an important part of any game that goes over a dozen hours. Otherwise it’s all repetition without the illusion of something to keep mixing it up for you.

      6) yes, it IS a demo. We’re talking about the demo. So that comment makes no sense, but I get what you are trying to say. Again, it’s merely pointing out the demo is for those of us who beat I1 and it’s rather unfriendly to people who haven’t.

      7) See I didn’t like either Unchartered or any of the Assassin’s titles.

      8) Agreed

      9) So, see? You didn’t like the demo either. That’s my big thing. I’m bashing the DEMO. It was a bad choice of levels, it’s unfriendly to newcomers to the series and as a demo is meant to sell the game to people, it does a horrible job of its reason d’etre. It doesn’t sell the game very well and it was such a bad choice of levels and design for a demo that it turned me off buying the game. If it’s a representative of the final product, it implies that said final product is more of the same. Agreed with the difficulty setting as well. It was like I could have played the thing blindfolded and still completed all the missions.

      10) The car hucking could be accomplished through shockwave. ;-) as for the rest of the things you mention, they don’t show up in the demo and as the conversation is only about the demo – they don’t apply. Like I said in my actual piece, I’m sure the final product is better than the demo but the demo itself does a poor job of selling the game.

  16. Chris Jensen Avatar
    Chris Jensen

    Alex, I am so glad to have read a level-headed and non-hype infused article regarding inFAMOUS 1 and 2 like you’ve written. People making statements like “the story was gripping and really drew me in” or others that veer even farther off into outlandishness and absurdity has been making my head hurt.

    I agree with you whole-heartedly on each of your points, and MacGuffins 1 and 3 are different, though why they’re called Blast Shards and Blast Cores when the former were a result of the Ray Sphere detonation in Empire City is beyond me. Wouldn’t a new collectible have been preferable? Wouldn’t Ray Core have been a better term for the MacGuffin #3, too?

    Probably my biggest beef with i2 is how the climbing system hasn’t advanced at all, maintaining it’s Mario-style approach to rock climbing and “snap-to” effect whenever you jump. Assassin’s Creed 2 managed to make advances in that category after coming from a first game that already had one of the best systems to date, so this lack of progress regarding i2 makes no sense.

    The demo shows that it’s more of the same (But now with MONSTERS!), so I’ll only be renting it so I can write a review and get the real, non-hyped story out there, also.

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Chris – I don’t get it either. I knew when I was pretty hard on the demo, people would come out of the woodward to defend the final product even though that makes no sense in the context of the original article, but after nine years of doing this, I know that if you are remotely critical of a majorly hyped game, people will act as if you just sodomized their mother.

      Agreed on the MacGuffin naming convention.

      Link me to your review when it’s up so I can read it.

  17. J. Rose Avatar
    J. Rose

    I did like the first game, but I’m not to excited for the sequel honestly. The box art is really lame BTW.

  18. Matt P Avatar
    Matt P

    Eh. I liked it. New powers, new story, some new mechanics, new mission types, new enemies. Good enough for me.

    Then again I am easy to please in games, generally. so long as the game is at least like a 5/10 or 6/10 level, most likely I will enjoy the game.

    Same thing goes for stories and voice acting. I am probably the weakest critic when it comes to stories. Like Infamous 1 story, like infamous 2 story, liked SC2 story, etc. A lot of the games where people bash the story, I will probably like it,

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Matt P – There’s nothing wrong with being easy to please. That’s not a bad thing. I’m glad you liked what you saw.

  19. Taylor Avatar
    Taylor

    This obviously a dumb reviewer first u said infamous one story wasn’t well written take ur head out of ms ass and open ur eyes infamous is the best super hero game on offer, prototype failed to match. I hate ign used love em but started bashin ps3 games but they rated infamous 2 9/10 they wud have gave it 10 if it wasn’t for the camera during melee fights. Infamous one also got a 9. Stick to kinect and don’t review ps3 games ever ps3 exclusives kick ass no other console can touch em wen it comes to exclusives. Maybe mario galaxy but I respect nintendo.

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Taylor – thank you for provided me with a hilarious stream of conciousness comment to read this morning. I don’t even know where to begin with the crazy here.

  20. Matt P Avatar
    Matt P

    Yeah, gotta love the PS3 fanboys that grab the torch and pitchfork when you give the game less than a 9/10 or 10/10

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Matt P – Agreed. It’s one thing to be passionate about a game or a franchise. It’s another to be blind to its flaws or criticism about a title. I don’t think it’s just Sony fans that have this problem though. Every system and franchise has those people that expect everyone to bow before it and anyone who has anything negative to say gets a temper tantrum from them. Thankfully most of the people commenting here are articulate and intelligent in their discourse with me.

  21. Aaron Sirois Avatar
    Aaron Sirois

    The deal breaker for me is right on the front of the box. Early access to Uncharted 3? Yuck!

    1. Alex Lucard Avatar

      Aaron – that is like the first time I’ve heard you say yuck about a sony published title!

  22. Aaron Sirois Avatar
    Aaron Sirois

    I don’t like EVERYTHING they publish, just God of War, Ratchet & Clank, Twisted Metal, Wipeout, MediEvil, Hot Shots Golf, Syphon Filter, Resistance Retribution, Team Ico Stuff,

  23. Aaron Sirois Avatar
    Aaron Sirois

    Oh shoot, it cut me off.

    Anyways, Singstar, Motorstorm, Pursuit Force, some Killzone, Jak and Daxter, Flower, ModNation Racers, Buzz, etc.

    See! It’s not EVERYTHING! :)

  24. […] Link: 10 Thoughts On…the Infamous 2 Demo (Sony PS3) – diehard gamefan […]

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