Adventuring through the game feels extremely satisfying by virtue of the loads of reactive dialogue you hear and the way citizens run up to you in appreciation or by how they cower in fear. It’s something other open-world games lack but Infamous 2 uses this mechanic in excellent fashion.
This sequel comes across as very organic in design: Everything feeds into making Cole more powerful. Combat actions gain XP and influence Karma, while stunts–like shocking enemies off rooftops unlock powers. You buy those, in turn, with XP and players can manage their power-set on the fly, giving them more strategy as to how they hero their way through New Marais.
And what you do with that power affects your playthrough. Lots more content gets locked out in Infamous 2–meaning that certain missions won’t be available to you if you play Cole as good or evil–so you’ll have a legitimate reason to romp through the game at least twice.
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The partner characters will also be another reason to play Infamous 2 multiple times. NSA agent Kuo gets cryogenic ice powers while helping Cole on his missions, and he runs into wild child pyrokinetic vigilante Nix while in New Marais. While both characters have the same goals–like helping Cole shut down the racist demagogue Bertrand who rules the city–they’ll have different methods to help achieve them. They’re very helpful in battle, often racing ahead to engage enemies and set them up for combo moves that use both Cole and their powers. If you tire of Cole’s electroshock therapy, you can swap out his blasts for Nix’s fire powers or Kuo’s icy energy attacks.
Yet another way Infamous 2 varies things is with user-generated content. Players will be able to build their own missions and share them online. The tools will take a little getting used to but whether you want to create or play, the extra quests will make Infamous 2 a better value proposition than many other games currently on shelves. Sucker Punch makes amazing sandbox cities, up there with the locales in Assassin’s Creed and Grand Theft Auto games. It’s a shame (for Cole, at least) that they keep blowing them up, but they give players wonderfully chaotic playgrounds to move through. A simple fetch mission can turn into a crazy, emergent free-for-all where militia, mutants, rebels and the frost-wielding Ice Gang all fight against each other and our hero.
Moments like that are what mark Infamous 2 as an improvement in nearly every way. They give players an inviting architecture to dance around in and loads of intriguing ways to interact with it. The abilities at your command feel powerful and dangerous, and you’ll feel consequences at every turn depending on how you use them. Whether you play as a callous antihero or virtuous crusader, Infamous 2 delivers a must-play experience for PS3 owners.
Techland Score: 8.9 out of 10.