Infamous: Second Son Review
Fortunate Son
Infamous: Second Son is, in many ways, a large step away
from the comic-book roots of its predecessors. Don't misunderstand –
Second Son is very much an open-world superhero action game first, and
an excellent one at that. Its flashy powers look and feel great in
battle, and that’s really what games like this are all about. But I
didn't expect to enjoy the weightier, more realistic tone of the
characters as much as I do. It’s a change that initially surprised me as
fan of the franchise, but one that ultimately pays off. Despite failing
to believably marry the player's moral choices with the protagonist's
own sense of right and wrong, Second Son hits some big high notes in
both character interaction, and most importantly, open-world gameplay.
It didn’t take long for Second Son's remarkable lighting to
leave me staring slack-jawed at my screen. The power of the PlayStation
4 is evident in every street-side puddle reflection
and in every swirling tuft of smoke
that left my flaming hands. The city of Seattle is beautifully and
diversely realized, but it never looked better than when I was blowing
everyone and everything around me to bits. Serene city streets turn into
fiery disaster zones with gleeful regularity, and both the before and
after are great to look at, despite occasional stutters when the effects
get out of hand.
While high production values are often a smokescreen for
weak characters, Second Son succeeds here, too. Troy Baker’s
motion-captured performance as our new Conduit, Delsin, remains
believable whether he’s being a snarky, reckless jerk, or a plucky,
bohemian do-gooder. He’s not universally likable, but the chemistry he
has with his conservative, law-defending brother makes for some
absorbing familial banter.
Delsin is a young man who, like so many others, is filled
with equal parts anger and idealism, and the fact that he wields such
overwhelming destructive power makes that inner conflict tense, and
interesting. Sure, it’s well-covered territory, but Baker imbues it with
a charm, and youthful abandon that keeps it from feeling tropey or
overwrought. Add in the icy, iron-willed villain Brooke Augustine, and
the result is a conflict that boils to a genuinely affecting climax.
Sadly, the rest of the cast isn’t as well-utilized.
Supporting characters like the immediately interesting Abigail “Fetch”
Walker are quickly introduced and brushed aside, with limited
involvement outside of the two or three-mission-long arc that pertains
to them. While Second Son’s individual beats and characters are well
executed, the plot that strings them all together is frustratingly
straightforward and limited in scope, depriving the bit players of the
chance to make a meaningful impact on the core conflict.
Story quibbles aside, Infamous is about feeling formidable,
and Second Son doesn't disappoint. Delsin’s four varied power sets
turned every D.U.P. checkpoint into another chance to flex my
super-powered muscles. From the explosive destruction of smoke to the
swift precision of neon, each set feels strong enough to hang an entire
game on, and strategically switching between them during heated battles
by draining power sources from around the city made me feel like an
unstoppable force of nature.
The streets of Seattle are flush with random karma opportunities and predetermined side missions, so you never have to look far for an opportunity to put your powers to good (or not so good) use. Downing mobile D.U.P. command centers was a particularly rewarding venture, offering up some of the most steeply pitched firefights, and doling out big skill point rewards upon completion. I happily lost hours wandering around and taking the city back district by district, becoming ever more powerful as I went.
Between scraps, I found Delsin’s nearly unfettered sense of
mobility exhilarating. He speeds up the sides of skyscrapers, and soars
across the Seattle skyline at your whim...once you get all the right
power-ups. Until then, you’ll be leaning on the old-fashioned parkour
from the previous games, but it doesn’t feel nearly as sticky or
reliable as it has in the past. This led to a few frustrating situations
where I couldn’t grab ledges that were clearly in reach. It becomes
less significant as you expand your suite of traversal powers, put when
everything else feels and plays so well, it’s hard not to notice.
Something that sticks out even more however, is the state of the
morality system. The red vs blue decision making comes off as woefully
outdated, and disconnected from Delsin’s personal motivation of healing
his injured tribemates. There’s nothing in the story that suggests that
he’d ever be interested in killing innocent civilians, or that his
police officer brother would be okay with it if he did, and yet you’re
clearly incentivized to murder everybody you see if you want to make the
most of your evil playthrough. Extremism is always rewarded with more
power, and as such, there’s never a reason to partake in evil actions
when you’re trending good or vice versa. This essentially takes moral
decision making out of the equation, which is sorely disappointing for a
game that attempts to place choice front and center.
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