3/5 ★ – PenguinKiddo's review of inFAMOUS.

Despite properly being introduced to this series via Second Son, I went into the original InFamous knowing that it'd be flawed compared to its follow-ups. But even with that in mind, despite some of the fun I had with InFamous, it retroactively made me appreciate Second Son so much more! InFamous still has a strong style and identity, but the chinks in its gameplay made my enjoyment flicker harder than a dying lightbulb throughout both my Good and Evil runs. After my first playthrough on the Good path, I was indifferent to the story up until the admittedly interesting plot twist about the main antagonist at the finale. After that revelation, I found myself a little more interested in the story once I tried the Evil path. Not every plot point and character were engaging, with some plot points feeling dull and even disappearing by the end. But I did like seeing Cole's choices affect the story, and characters like Zeke had a good arc that I didn't appreciate until my second run. The way you also affect the three districts through your actions was impressive to see, from watching people help you out in return for your good deeds to fighting back against your destructive behavior. Other little details like watching citizens dig through trash cans or take photos of you made the whole world feel alive. Dare I say, there's more personality in InFamous 1's world then there is in modern day open-world games with how many small details it manages to include. The map's not only teeming with so much life, it's also a full playground to run around and/or reign chaos upon. Seeing as how the Sly Cooper series was Sucker Punch's prior work, the platforming and the ability to climb various ledges felt like it was pulled right from those games. That isn't a complaint at all, since I love how it feels in those games. However, with how the map is constructed, I often found myself climbing objects I didn't intend to or would clip through and cause me to lose progress, if not just plummet to my death. Traversing the map was a chore too, with the few traversal skills you unlock not doing enough to cut the time it takes to get from point A to B whilst having their own unique issues. It all just hurts because when you get into that rhythm of climbing from ledge to ledge, it can be very engaging. Combat felt really satisfying, as watching my frame rate tank after I unleashed a barrage of electric grenades and missiles onto my enemies was honestly super amusing. Doing both Good and Evil paths, the differences in your attacks were significant enough that I felt myself approach enemies differently. It didn't take long for combat to get repetitive however, as enemies grow more resilient to your projectiles, and they start whipping out weapons that can be overwhelming to deal with in groups. Between playing on Medium and Hard difficulty, I consistently struggled to stand up against an onslaught of enemy missiles and shotguns which would stun lock me and allowed me to get combo-ed in crazy ways. Some of the ways they killed me was funny, but it didn't take long for me to call bull-crap on some of my deaths. Speaking back on frame rate, this game can be a technical mess at times. The game will chug harder than hotel wi-fi in firefights, and then run up to 60fps when I hangout by a dock on the edge of a district. I also counted many moments where Cole would get stuck on collision, and I couldn't move until he randomly remembered he had a city to save (or destroy, depends on his mood). Even though there was plenty of moments and ideas I liked in InFamous, I'm not sure I can recommend it to a modern audience. It's clear the game has aged nowadays, and current landscape of superhero games has more to offer in terms of quality which includes later InFamous games. For those still curious about the game, if you can tolerate its slower pace and bugs then I believe there's some good stuff for you to chew on. I can see how InFamous went on to become a beloved series in Playstation's catalog, and the groundwork the first game laid out has enough style and cool concepts that I think still make it stand out in its genre even to this day. Beaten: 5/29/24