Infamous is another one of those games that I’ve always known about but never got to play before. Now thanks to the collection I get to play two of them at once so that’s pretty cool. The games definitely hold up really well as great 3D action games with a whole lot going on. They are the kind of games that you want to keep on replaying until you have completed all of the missions around.

Both games are a similar length. They’re not all that long but will still keep your attention at all times. The first one introduces us to Cole who was at the epicenter of a giant explosion. This destroyed thousands of humans in the area but Cole survived and now has super powers. Other people have also gained abilities so the city is in a terrible state. Cole has to decide whether he should use his powers for good or for evil. If he chooses the dark side, then he will be able to do whatever he wants but if he chooses the light side then he will need to start protecting the humans from all of the villains around. It won’t be easy.

The game has you choose between the light and dark options for every story decision so those tend to come around very quickly. Then at the end of the game, your choices will start being locked in depending on how good or evil you are. There are no takebacks here for the most part. You could do a bunch of normal missions to try and shift courses but the game intentionally makes this difficult so you can live with your decisions. You can’t really trust anyone in this game, every person has their own selfish motivations for either helping you or standing in your way.

Cole’s specialty is lightning so you are able to shoot bolts of it or even shoot out thunder grenades. You can absorb electricity from any object near you to power up when you are running low. You also have hand to hand attacks but for the most part that’s not something you will really need to worry about. Hand to hand simply isn’t as effective as ranged attacks although the sequel changes this a bit. There is also a pretty large hub world where you will be helping people out at different points in time.

In some ways I would even compare the game to Spider-Man in how the plot progression works. You can always choose to go right to the next story mission or clear some side missions first. You have a clear upgrade system as well which lets you get stronger and stronger. As always I would recommend beefing up your attacks as soon as possible but realistically you don’t need to go for all of them. As you play through the game you will quickly find your favorite and least favorite attacks to use after all.

The graphics are definitely solid. By now the game has certainly aged quite a bit but to me it holds up pretty well. The soundtrack also isn’t bad but it’s a little generic. I wouldn’t really recall any specific themes by the end. The sequel updates the graphics pretty well although the soundtrack is about the same. I guess some things can’t be easily upgraded to the next level in a single sequel.

The second Infamous is very similar but the small changes stand out more since I played them back to back. For example there is a much bigger emphasis on melee so your hand to hand attacks are actually useful this time around. The upgrade system was made to be a lot more convoluted which was annoying. Aside from the EXP needed to buy the upgrades, you now must have completed some conditions first which can be a bit of a grind. I ended up beating the game without a lot of the upgrades as a result of that.

For the most part it is all more streamlined than the first game though and a general improvement across the board which is what you want to see from any sequel. Even the story is a lot more intricate now as we have several main characters who all have powers. The whole story is about stopping the Beast, a being of unlimited power who is set to destroy humanity. It was cool that you get to fight him at the beginning of the game to see how outclassed Cole is and then to contrast that with his new powers at the very end of the game.

By the time you’re done with the first two games you are super hyped to get out there and play the third one which is exactly what I imagine the intent was from the start. I’ll certainly be there at some point. Outside of the main story content which should take you around 15 hours or so, the games have a good amount of replay value. You need to beat the game under both light and dark modes for each title. In the first game that means beating the entire story for a second time while for the second one you are able to quickly just re-complete the last level. Still, a lot of the other trophies will take time as well.

The best thing I can really say about the game is that it’s a lot of fun. The hub world is handle perfectly which plays a large role in this. With some games you can feel afraid to start a side mission because it’s going to take forever and be boring. The average side mission here takes less than 5 minutes and immediately rewards you with EXP and more territory so it just feels worth it. Likewise with finding the various birds across the city. All of the side content really adds onto the main story and just feels like a part of the overall experience.

Overall, This collection gives you a lot of bang for your buck and is also just a lot of fun. I had a blast using my superpowers everywhere. This feels like a full fledged superhero game all the way through and shows just how many things you can do with electricity. The blueprint is there now if they ever want to make a Static Shock game. That said, you don’t have to be a superhero fan to enjoy this game. As long as you really like 3D action titles then this one will be right up your alley. I would definitely recommend checking it out at any time and the price is generally really cheap nowadays.

Overall 8/10