The first two entries in the inFAMOUS series were both must-buys on the PS3, so there was a certain level of anticipation and expectation on the first franchise outing on the new system. Gone is hero/villain of the series to date Cole McGrath (the makers have decided to go with inFAMOUS 2's "Good Ending" which - SPOILERS! - resulted in his death), and in his place we have Delsin Rowe. Living in a government lock-down future version of Seattle, where anyone with any kind of special ability is viewed as a bioterrorist, Delsin discovers that he can leech the powers of any bioterrorists he comes into contact with. Using these powers, you can decide whether you want to be use them for good and bring down the government stronghold, or use them for evil and your own selfish designs.
While the plot is not exactly original (it's basically a rip-off of X-Men), the way its told is fantastic. Between the brilliantly acted and animated cut-scenes, and the story-forwarding missions you'll be embarking upon, Second Son is a massive step up from the first two games in the respect. Also, while we learned to love Cole, he was rather two-dimensional, while Delsin feels like a fully realised character, and everyone he interacts with makes this feel like a fully developed, properly lived-in universe.
Gameplay wise, things are business as usual. Parkour'ing around the city, jumping from roof-top to roof-top, is as easy to manage and natural to control as ever. The new abilities, from the hard and heavy Smoke to the speedy and precise Neon to a few others we won't spoil here, are great to get to master, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and each having a specific situation their best used in.
The only slight disappointment is that for a next generation game, it doesn't feel like Second Son took any giant steps forward. It still looks like an inFAMOUS game (albeit with much improved graphics), and it still feels like an inFAMOUS game (albeit with improved controls). Still though, that's nothing really to hold against the game itself. Second Son is just as addictively brilliant as the first two inFAMOUS games, and most importantly, is a hell of a lot of fun to play. After all, you get to run and jump around a city as a superhero or a supervillain, blowing things up as you go. What more could you ask for?
Developers: Sucker Punch Productions
Format: PlayStation 4
Genre: Platform, Action
Rating: 16+
Score: 4.5 out of 5
