Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 11:40 pm
Oh boy ... MUD debate. Oh boy.
Finished inFamous first playthrough (~330/350 shards so ... fuck) and missing I think two territories (82/84). Haven't maxed upgrades either if I want to farm EXP for that I suppose.
...or now I can start my Evil playthrough and wreck shit yo.
"You have earned a trophy: Good Finish!"
"You have earned a trophy: Hard Finish!"
[Spoilers]
[spoiler]I wouldn't say I saw it coming but the final twist I had thought of as a possibility. Despite that, the final battle sequence pretty much had me going, "...no, he is? Fuck!!!" the entire time as it started to look like Kessler = Cole ... if only due to his powers all being LIGHTNING just like yours. Souped up ones of yours but yours nonetheless, though what the fuck was his "I KILL YOU IF THIS TOUCHES YOU" ground stomp attack?
I was hoping Kessler gave Zeke powers and had an epic showdown between the two. This was 50% because I hated Zeke and 50% because I thought it'd be awesome after the relatively lame second island boss (I mean, it was a decent fight but he was just a souped up Junk Conduit).
Kessler was pretty epic though. Took me 10 or so tries to figure out a way to beat him and it felt kind of lame to run around in circles and wait for his charge -> lighting (x3) to attack. May goof off and trying a different way on my Evil play. I'll seriously miss REDIRECTING MISSILES though. Shit, that power is awesome. Shoot 10 into the sky and then redirect them all onto his head. AIRSTRIKE.
I'd have liked one more Good/Evil power, though I think there weren't enough buttons left barring some obtuse combination. That or making them not be bad. I haven't tried the Evil one yet but it doesn't sound impressive (sounds close range) but the Good one was pretty weak. Maybe it was due to Hard difficulty but it damaged people behind cover, sure, but it took forever to kill them that way.
The Good/Evil differences for powers in general seemed pretty neat; Good was about control, Evil is area. To be honest, the Evil powers would be better suited for how the game played out but I'll still miss the redirecting missiles and the basic lightning bolts Energy recharge.
Speaking of Evil, I'm thinking the game is "meant" to played as Evil. Sort of. Ultimately good but from start to nearly finished, evil. Kessler's talk at the start of the final fight makes it seem like Trish was the only good thing in Cole's life. He was a failure pretty much otherwise. It fits that, when the disaster occurs, he'd do whatever he could for that. Survival of the fittest and he just happens to now have awesome powers.
By the end of the game, with Zeke betraying him and Trish dying, the realization of what he can do with his powers is pretty big. That made no sense when I played AS A GOOD CHARACTER and was saving everyone as is. Him realizing he can save people and matter now should be the push from a ruthlessly selfish person to a more helpful one. Kessler's goal is still accomplished (shaping Cole to be strong and capable of fighting back when the time comes to aid people/humanity) and Cole has a growth of character. Yay!
There's also the TV Jacker who, at least on my good file, pointed out the entire time that you're doing "good" things (Story Missions) but you're still the bad guy.
Also, the final Evil rank is called: inFamous. The title of the game is: inFamous. COME ON.[/spoiler]
Think it took me nearly 30 hours for this first run. Not bad for the genre I'd say. Considering the powers are pretty much FPS weaponry turned into Lightning (Pistol, Shotgun, Grenade, Sniper Rifle, Rocket Launcher), it doesn't feel that way. Probably due to no "weapon" swap and each one is bound to a distinct button / combination.
Sooo...bring on inFamous 2~
Edit: Just to make it not sound perfect (because it isn't), the pop-in and FPS drops are pretty noticeable at times. The pop-in isn't so bad since it's usually just for buildings in the distance and not character models. That and cars.
The FPS drop isn't too bad since it, when under pressure with actual shit going on, it is still a stable 30 FPS. The problem is when the game jumps UP to 60 FPS and you see how silky smooth sexy it looks and then it drops to 30 and you're a little sad. It doesn't hinder gameplay at all just makes you wish it was all 60 FPS locked.
Also, the city is sort of bland. Not like Crackdown bland but there's not too many landmarks (enough to make the Hidden Package side missions doable). May play and disable (if possible) the GPS to get some sense of exploration back since travel in inFamous is awesome unlike most other sandbox games (which is my main complaint with them). GTA4 is bland to traverse via foot/car but leaping from building to building and grinding on power lines/rails is awesome.
[spoiler]Also less jaggies for inFamous 2. That'd be awesome.[/spoiler]
Edit2: And random image I need to make into my wallpaper.
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EDIT: tl;dr: inFamous is awesome. If you own a PS3, buy it or else you're dumb. The gameplay is fun and it even made someone like me who hates sandbox games have a blast with the collect-a-thon. Barring minor technical hiccups, there isn't much more I could ask from it.