How Second Son Really Hurt The inFamous Franchise

OnlySP: Having just finished inFamous: Second Son (finally), I can’t help but feel underwhelmed. I’m not as underwhelmed as I was the first day I played it because things do pick up a little toward the end but for the most part this game lets inFamous fans down in this writer’s opinion.

[-Foxtrot]

In my opinion in the only thing they did better was the graphics and the music

Everything else inFAMOUS 2 did better. I feel like they sacrificed gameplay for graphics/presentation when really an open world game isn't really about graphics.

[Wingsfan24]

I liked Infamous 2s soundtrack so much more. Second Sons was good, but not something Id listen to outside the game as I do with 2.

[-Foxtrot]

I suppose it's opinion then, I liked the soundtrack in inFAMOUS 2 aswell so it's hard for me to choose which one I like more. Maybe I saying Second Son because I want to give it more things it did better, giving it the benefit of the doubt.

[Conzul]

inFamous 2 was SLIGHTLY better in nearly every category except graphics/artstyle.

Second Son is like a Crysis moment for Sucker Punch, and I hope that their next IP/inFamous can keep moving the series upward.

Edit: unless they added UGC. That would change everything.

[kingPoS]

I definitely liked the red & blue ost's from Infamous 2, even put a few of em' in Tekken Tag 2

[PrinceOfAllSaiyans]

@Foxtrot Dude you don't like anything

[-Foxtrot]

Lol...ok then

You can't say anything nice to anyone

Even though I was hyped for this a ton before it came out

Funny thing is if I praised this and ignored it's faults I would be called a Sony fanboy.

So I can't win to be honest.

Theres a reason why you have one bubble....maybe you should leave the site if you have nothing good to say to anyone.

[bleedsoe9mm]

if you ask me SS is the third best game in the series , none have captured the comic book super hero feel of the first game , i still hope the keep trying its not like any of the games have been bad .

[BiggCMan]

There is NO WAY this game "hurt" the series. It is still a great game, but it definitely is not as good as inFamous 2. That's like saying Uncharted 3 hurt Uncharted just because it wasn't quite as masterful as Uncharted 2. It' nonsense.

SS is still a really fun game to play with a decent story that stands on its own. I agree that the powers are pretty similar for the most part, with just a new coat of paint.

But that doesn't mean they aren't fun to use, they just aren't as varied as the crazy amount of stuff we had with electric alone.

[-Foxtrot]

Your talking about the article....right?

Because I never said I agreed with the article that it hurt the series....just that it's a huge letdown to inFAMOUS and was a downgrade in terms of gameplay

[Jaqen_Hghar]

A man thought Uncharted 3 was the best in the series! Definitely a man's favorite. Same with Jak 3, Ratchet 3, Crash 3, Resistance 3, and MGS3. A man just always seems to like the 3rd game best because while the second is normally the biggest improvement, the 3rd will refine that and take whatever complaints people had as far as changes made or things taken out and fix them (like the weapon wheel, 2 weapon limit, and health packs in Resistance 3 as compared to 2). It will also extrapolate good ideas like evolving weapons in Ratchet and make it a 5 level system in Ratchet 3.

[SoapShoes]

Ehhh I also liked Uncharted 3 better than two for several reasons.

[kingPoS]

@Jaqen_Hghar

So true. The third time usually is the charm.

Sonic 3
Mortal Komabat 3
GTA San Andreas

Gateway MT6706 2008

[Sharky231]

I feel like sucker punch is going in the right direction. The powers they brought to this game really added a new strategy to the game. The story to me was around the same as the rest. I really started to care about the characters. All in all this is a great stepping stone for the series.

[joab777]

Its the Ubisoft open world plague. Break everything into zone and have ppl repeat the same things over and over to free said zones. Then u finish the story and thats it...a huge boring open world.

Infamous is amazing...no doubt. But a monumental waste b/c of what it could had been. It could have been epic!!!

I just hate how games put themselves in a box and feel as though our hands must be held throughout. Its sad.

[UnHoly_One]

Graphics were better, obviously.

Everything else was worse. Characters, story, gameplay, powers, environment, side missions... All of it sucked.

I can't decide if it was mediocre or outright bad. It's very weak compared to the first two for sure.

[Npugz7]

Ya I thought the game was boring! I finished it and immediately traded it in!

[NukaCola]

Don't think it hurt the franchise at all. The story was good thr game play was really fluid and the powers were awesome. I too love inFAMOUS 2 the most but this was still a really good game. I do hope to see bigger and more epic bosses in the next inFAMOUS. I think this was a great start for next gen and we will get something even more imaginative in a couple of years.

[BABY-JEDI]

I totally agree. Infamous second son is a great start for this gen. What SP produced was a fantastically solid & well rounded game.
It's just sad that some folks want a repeat of infamous 2 & if they got that, well you know that they would just complain saying that it was too similar & that they wanted something new.

[iamnsuperman]

I disagree with it has hurt the franchise (would have to really mess up to do that) but inFamous Second Son did have some issues. The main one is the story. inFamous 1 and 2 had a far better story with far better endings. This game felt like it tried to push the same level of character development into one game. It could have been a lot better and it did feel like a step backwards

I also disagree on the powers. The game made me feel really powerful but also each power made me play the game differently. I actually think the powers were an advancement over the previous instalments.

One criticism I have never understood is switching powers on demand. Just think about it. Wouldn't that make the game instantly easier (since you have all the benefits a your beckoning) and also it doesn't make sense for the canon. Delsin is basically ditto or a leach. He can't keep powers he leaches the ability.

[-Foxtrot]

Powers were a huge step back

They were roughly the same but with different effects/animations. New powers only had one or two new powers the others didn't have.

There was no grenade move, polarity wall, Kinectic push, tether, Shockwave, grind, hook, blasts

I'd rather have one or two powers with a ton of different moves then 4 powers which all feel the same. Invisibility, stasis, sulphur bomb were really the only powers which separated them in Second Son. Powers to me were more about how you like getting around the map rather then fighting.

[Baccra17]

From the sounds of it, they still haven't been able to tap into their imagination and make some worthwhile powers.

[BiggCMan]

^Still?? inFamous 2 was an incredible game so I have no clue what you mean by that. And the 3rd power in Second Son is the most creative and interesting power I've ever seen.

It looks cool and is very fun to use. But like the rest of the 4 powers there is only a small amount of actual abilities, and that is where the gameplay falls short. But to say the powers aren't worthwhile is ridiculous.

[monkeyDzoro]

A step back compared to what you just said ?

There was grenade moves. But the effects weren't explosive but rather implosive, they choked people in SS instead of blasting them.
Polarity wall wasnt there. But were there a dash move in inFamous1&2 ? No.
Kinetic push you mean the boost you have when you jump from a car, it's in SS also.
Grinding is like going through air vents.

I can go on with the others but it's too long.
Plus, many of those moves in inFamous1&2 were not that useful.

[DragonKnight]

I also disagree that it hurt the series, but it didn't help it either.

I'm playing Infamous 1 right now and it's just a superior game to SS in all aspects save for music (though some of Infamous' tracks are really good, like when you're on the bus going from the Neon to the Warren and the Reapers and the Dust men through down? Dem drums man) and graphics. Cole, even in his first game, is a FAR better character than Delsin and he grows so much throughout the game.

Infamous is also like a comic book whereas SS is... I don't know but it's not like a comic book. Zeke is also a better "sidekick" type character in my opinion than Reggie, though Reggie is definitely the best character in SS hands down.

The Powers in SS are... creative but it's like they spent more time in just coming up with powers than making them unique and fleshing them out. Cole has so many different powers just in his Electromagnetism abilities that it's insane, plus how they are altered by being good or evil is also really well done.

Like for example how if you're playing the Good path, then your Lightning bolts do less damage but each hit restores energy so you don't find yourself needing to find a source to drain as often. But if you play Evil, they do more damage, cause explosions randomly (or 100% of the time if you get a head shock) but don't restore energy so you'll have to resort to Bio Drain or stay around some sources to recharge.

My favourite is the differences between the Megawatt Hammer. Good playthough: Say you're facing enemies that are in a particularly difficult position to hit reliably. Send a Megawatt Hammer in the air then hit that enemy just once with a Lightning Bolt and you can send that MH straight to him like a homing missle. Evil Playthrough has a maximum of 6 mini rockets attached to the main one that stick to an enemy on impact causing a total of 7 explosions.

Where is that stuff in SS? Needless to say, Cole is so much more fun to play Evil if you love dat destruction.

And then Infamous 2 just goes and adds so much more in terms of power.

Second Son was the tech demo inFAMOUS game for the PS4. So much more work was put into the visuals than the actual game and it shows. It's not a bad game, it's just not up to the inFAMOUS standards that the first 2 games set.

[-Foxtrot]

@monkeyDzoro

A sulphur bomb is the same as the stasis bubble...it's to subdue enemies.

A grenade in inFMAOUS 2 could blow shit up, not to mention you could upgrade it to act as a sticky grenade if you wanted.

I really don't see why people are trying to spin it like 4 powers with hardly no variety is better then 2 powers with a lot of variety.

"Kinetic push you mean the boost you have when you jump from a car, it's in SS also."

Eh? Those are totally different moves. Kinect push meant actually force pushing cars and stuff onto enemies while jumping on a car launched up into the air SOMETHING which was in inFAMOUS 2.

"Plus, many of those moves in inFamous1&2 were not that useful."

Like the dash in Second Son, it's useless once you get Neon. Least when you have the grind ability in inFAMOUS you can keep on using it throughout the whole game.

Look I know it's a PS4 game and yes Sony has done well but the game is not perfect and has it's faults.

[monkeyDzoro]

It has nothing to do with Sony or PS4. In previous inFamous games I always thought there was many moves that you don't use very often.

I prefer the smoke power over the others because of the effects they used to display it. I like dashing and going through vents, so I used that dash move till the end. I'm not a fan of neon, just love its Karmic bomb.There are less moves in SS but u use them more often than those in previous games.

Less moves dont imply dwngrade in gameplay. In fact, the gameplay has improve especially on the parkour department. It's tighter and smoother. When you want to hang on a particular edge or a pole, the detection is better.

[Wingsfan24]

Yea I do agree the powers felt marginably the same across the board. It sucks that the power I tend to think you'd have the most fun with, the final power, is unlocked pretty much when the main storyline ends.

But as far as enemy variety, there really wasn't any at all. The boss fights were dull and as you said the powers felt more like different traversal methods if anything.

Great game all around, but it just boring to play this time. I hope if they revisit inFamous, they go back to the more creative stuff and make it less realistic in terms of the story and how it's presented. I cared much more for Cole as a character, and even the side characters than I did Deslin.

[SoapShoes]

What was wrong with the boss fights? Fighting Eugene in the digital world was lots of fun!

[Lawboy2]

I just beat the good side...it was great and the music at the end of the game was amazing....when I went back and looked at my screenshots I was blown away the game is amazing

[mezati99]

this game was the best in the series. of course this is my opinion

[SamPao]

Or how it took it to a whole nother level

[SpiralTear]

I wouldn't say it "hurt" the franchise, but I still had much more fun with Infamous 2 than Second Son.

[HugoDrax]

Personally, I loved infamous second son. The first infamous game glad released when I was a manager at GameStop, and I didn't like it as much as I enjoyed Second Son. Anyhow, everyone has their personal preference

[DanielGearSolid]

I havent played SS yet, but fighting the beast in Infamous 2 was an amazing experience, and I don't mean just the final battle, every encounter with the beast was epic

[AceBlazer13]

The game was by no means the best in the series, some even think it's the worst of the 3, but the game was still good. It was a nice entry title for the franchise to get more popularity, because let's be real, the inFamous games as amazing as they are had a small fanbase.

So Second Son, as average as it was to some by inFamous standards did a lot for the franchise to gain more popularity. A light simple story, likeable main character, gameplay to make you feel powerful, even an easily achievable platinum and being released so close to launch.

[Revolver_X_]

Its funny you bring up likeable character. Troy Baker makes Delsin a good character. I just didnt like Cole. So much so I skipped Infamous 2. Either way Infamous SS made the series more popular. Theres nothing wrong with that.

[Philoctetes]

Agreed 100% on Cole. inFamous 2 had better gameplay than SS, but Delsin is a vastly better character than Cole was. I'll go so far as to say that Cole was probably the least likeable main character I've ever encountered in a video game.

[SoapShoes]

SS didn't have the best story but it wasn't bad. Nothing can beat the ending of the first game which is why I probably was disapointed in the story of the second one but the second game had better gameplay. I had more fun in Second Son on just gameplay wise though. I feel it was just way more fun and the powers were more unique. Traversing was also much better.

[XabiDaChosenOne]

The should have followed the bad ending. It was a good game though.

[arkard]

SS for me was the worst of the series. The character was just very unlikable (IMO) I also felt like Sucker Punch lost the comic book/super hero feel they had of the first two games. The game was fun to play through but nothing I will ever go back to. Id love for SP to take a break and do a new IP then come back to Infamous.

[Clown_Syndr0me]

Not played the first two. 85% through my first play through of this and I think its pretty good but really repetitive.
Even the story missions are a bit repetitive, I seem to chase people far too often. I also feel the city has no life, considering its a current gen game there isn't much diversity between the almost brainless pedestrians, and most the enemies are just clones of one another.
Having a fairly good time with it though, not sure I would have bothered had there been more games available though. Ill have to try out the first two now theyre cheap..

[SpinalRemains138]

I did enjoy the game, but I will say my one major criticism is the lack of a one power committal. I love the idea of having one super power and exploiting it to either be good or evil.

inFamous SS seemed like it was trying too hard with the constant switching back and forth between powers. One cannot truly master any power when they're constantly switching.

Plz go back to one elemental power and have that powers tree be larger. Its just more fun that way and not all over the place.

[e-p-ayeaH]

Id rather have just one power with a balanced usefull skill set like infamous 1. infamous 2 had too many useless attacks.

[DanteVFenris666]

I don't mind the idea of one power set though now all the basics are set with delsin a sequel could expand on him. The problem with one power like infamous one is that delsins smoke powers alone had equal or more powers then what you got in infamous 1.

[Longshot28]

I liked it, and I'm tired of cynical gamers. nothing hurt anything.

[DJustinUNCHAIND]

This game just felt shallow. It looked gorgeous but it was super-repetitive, and the powers didn't feel very unique or powerful.

[SpinalRemains138]

They weren't unique. How could they be when you were using a different one every other mission?

[PersonMan]

I really miss grinding wires and kinetic pulse.

[incendy35]

Awesome tech demo but it wasn't really a game I enjoyed playing. The ideas of the powers were awesome, but the actual gameplay felt really stiff. I never felt like I was one with the character, constantly fighting the control mechanics. I also hated that soaking up the powers was tied to pressing the touchpad. I have really small hands and reaching it requires me to reposition my hands. Probably not an issue for most people but it drove me crazy. The characters were also really shallow and annoying. I don't know. Games are supposed to be fun, and I just didn't think Second Son delivered in that aspect.

[Spotie]

You have to have played it first.

[SoapShoes]

I feel like most of the peope here are stealth trolling or just really hard to please and don't like most games. Calling it a tech demo? Hahahahaha no...

[DanteVFenris666]

Upset because it sold more then Titanfall maybe?

[e-p-ayeaH]

The story is pretty silly and unoriginal at times the original inFamous will always be my favorite.

[Manubiggs]

This is the first infamous game I've played, just moved from x360 to ps4 and absolutely loved it. I platinumed it and I'm on my third play through now. Story was weak but it is so much fun being delsin.

[DevilishSix]

Fan of the series platinumed each one. Took nine days to platinum SS honest opinion is SS is gorgeous and is fun but not as good as the first two with the second being the best. If they offered a remaster collection of the first two with reworked graphics I might be up for a second go thru on those games.

I am just not sure what Sucker Punch could do in a new Infamous game, maybe they should come up with a new IP like Insominac has with Sunset Overdrive and while they work on that they could release the first two Infamous games remastered to fill in the gap.

[kingdom18]

That would be a nice idea. I recently tried to play inFamous again, but I just couldn't get past how bad it looked, as I haven't played it in such a long time.

SS felt like such a great game to me, but such a miss for them to. Almost feels half assed, rushed. I'm hoping to see if DLC can help flesh out the story and gameplay a little more.

[kingdom18]

I agree much with what this writer has said along with some other points, while it was fun and pretty, it felt so short, in game only two days past. The story, while I liked it overall and the different endings, there were no side mission or main mission that are side stories from the main story, the only thing that fleshes out Eugene's and Fetch's characters is the comic style cut scene after draining their powers. In inFamous 2 we learned much more about Kuo and Nix during the evil or hero karmatic side missions with them or during main quests. I'm hoping some DLC can fix that, along with the gameplay. Even though the gameplay was fun, it felt so underwhelming compared to inFamous 2, I love having multiple powers to choose from from those powers feel so limited to what they could be. Even though the game was great to me, it still felt rushed. Good article.

[trenso1]

the set back for this game was the powers. they were all the same for the most part and using any power but neon to get around the city was a pain. Along with the weak cast of characters it was a step back from infamous 2

[SoulSercher620]

Loved SS. It didn't have an emotional impact like the first two did but it was still a great game.

[corvusmd]

For some reason when I clicked on the link I kept getting an error message, so I'm not sure of the points of the article and why they think that it has hurt the series. However, I will admit that while I think the game looks great, after that it's not the best inFamous in any regards. My personal opinion is that the game looks great enough that they could have take a slight visual hit and better used that processing power to create more activities/chaos within the city. There were too many times that it just got bland for me. Some of the destructible environments (i.e. Guard towers) were fun to play around with, so a little more of that would have been cool. I also believe they should have done more with the side missions. All in all, I was glad that I played through, but by the end of my first play through the game had gone dry for me personally.

So while it's definitely not my favorite inFamous (mines actually the first one, because at that time the game was truly ground breaking...the nostalgia factor makes it my favorite), I'm not really sure what the author could have pointed to as "hurting" the franchise....maybe they have a good point, but I can't see on my own what that would have been.

[Skankinruby]

I haven't played second son yet but what are these people smoking that say the stories in 1and 2 were good? The beauty of those games was in the gameplay and getting new powers and messing around with them but the story was garbage, 1 and 2. By these posts it gives me confidence that second son will have a pretty good story

[Saito]

Seems like most people in the comment section lack imagination and synchronization. This is the SP's vision, so drop your ostentatious criticism and blend with the game instead of forcing yourself to see if this just beat IF 1 & 2 as a game. You guys are pathetic. Disappointed by your constant expectations. You guys really hurt yourselves and you don't even know it. Some of you don't get enjoyment out of life.

[Wingsfan24]

That's such a weird comment. You don't want people to have criticisms or expectations of entertainment? Nothing would improve if people didn't criticize it or voice their opinions on it.

[Saito]

Misconstruing my words.Is it that hard? I think you people need to revise my paragraph once more. You're making my statement seem indecipherable. Though, I haven't really come across someone here show that they possess gumption. Just disadvantage(mentally)gamers. Quite a pathetic group.

[Spotie]

I hope that was an intentionally bad pair of comments...

[Saito]

You lack everything.

[leemo19]

Second Son was good, but Infamous 2 was better. Infamous 2 the city felt more alive where as Second Son it felt boring wondering around in the city. I like the powers more in SS cause each power was unique to use. The story I think is what hurt SS the most. It was a decent story but it felt like the choices you did, didn't really effect the outcome other than the last choice at the end compared to Infamous 2. I do hope in the next Infamous SP will finally fix the horrible climbing mechanics they have, climbing Infamous is a pain.

[IWasHere]

Second Son is much more better than inFamous 2.
Part 2 was so disappointing. It felt like a huge DLC for inFamous 1. Story was lame. Only visuals were better but atmosphere worse because of its more colorful and bright lightning.

My opinion:

Second Son > inFamous > inFamous 2.

[GamersHeaven]

People still having a hard time figuring out the story lol the story is fine its the lack of side missions,enemies,bad Karma system they should of remade in Infamous 2 imo that has always been my major problem with the series Karma system is lazy really repetitive game design imo.

[arbitor365]

second son had better characters than infamous 1 and 2, but a much, much weaker plot. it doesnt feel like there is an over arching threat or a good buildup. it just feels aimless, storywise. you need to have stakes, a ticking clock, or something to keep us invested. and the whole plot of "take the cement out of granny and the rest of the tribe" comes off rushed and it is barely even mentioned.

there arent any good secondary villains in the game. that is a big problem. and also augustine herself isnt really a powerful and compelling villain. she basically waits around through most of the game for you to come and kick her ass. and her motivation isnt all that interesting, once you find it out at the end.

also, I have a hard time buying this world. where conduits seem to have little to no way of fighting back against their oppression and have no organization of their own. their power seems pretty underplayed and it makes the world seem smaller. also, the term bio-terrorist is a bit "on the nose."

also I didnt feel the moral choices weighed heavily on the game. they didnt really improve upon it from the last games

also, I dont get why Seattle is so central to the DUP. once again, this makes the world seem smaller. if they at least gave a reason why this location was so critical, i could buy it.

i disagree about the gameplay complaints though. I think the gameplay in second son was the best of the series. it felt really tight and responsive

there were alot of missed opportunities. im sure the next infamous game will be much better.

[feraldrgn]

I wouldn't say it really hurt it, it wasn't as good as the previous 2, but by no means was it a bad game.
I had a lot of fun with it, it's also a gorgeous game, the Photo Mode was a brilliant addition.

It was disappointing, in length & side missions, but the post launch support was there.
It was a good (near) "launch" game.