In cinema as in video games, the trend is towards trilogy. So when Sucker Punch announces that for the third episode of inFAMOUS, Cole McGrath has been sacrificed on the altar of glory, but above all common sense, we can only be curious about the idea of seeing his successor land. . This is none other than Delsin Rowe, a rebellious young man with a teenage look who spends most of his time tagging on the walls, until the day he crosses paths with a Porter (a kind of mutant) who will inadvertently transmit his power to him. Now considered a bio-terrorist, Delsin will have to flee the authorities of the DUP (Department of Protection Units) responsible for capturing all these X-Men in the making and thus channeling their desires to use their powers. Helped by his brother Reggie, Delsin Rowe then heads towards Seattle, where a certain Augustine Brooke has turned the city into a state of siege. She also has powers, she is able to bend stone and concrete like no other, which makes her a formidable enemy. However, before being able to give him the full face, Delsin will have to gain in power and acquire what it takes to be able to match this old shrew.
This is the story of an X-Mec…
Making Delsin Rowe a superhero is the leitmotif of inFAMOUS: Second Son, which broadly takes up the codes of the series. The adventure also starts timidly, with the famous power of smoke which allows our hero to cross walls, sneak into conduits, hover for a short time but also swing all kinds of projectiles to be able to attack the soldiers of the DUP, who will never let themselves be taken easily. But before he can get his full range of attacks, Delsin will have to find some core relays that the DUP has scattered all over Seattle. Each of these machines allow him to expand his arsenal, such as the possibility of charging an attack, of swinging specific projectiles or better still, of unlocking the famous final attack capable of sweeping an entire area at once. The developers of Sucker Punch have also thought of integrating a skill tree that allows Delsin Rowe to improve some of his attacks, with fragments that can be found here and there in the city. This is also part of these side missions which require you to go in search of these skill points so as not to find yourself blocked in the face of enemies, certainly not very intelligent, but with formidable tenacity. Whether it's DUP agents, thugs getting busted in traffic, or just cops doing their job, they often attack in numbers and if you leave Delsin Rowe with his basic powers, he might bite the dust more than reason. Fortunately, as the adventure progresses, Delsin will meet other mutants with different powers that he can subtract, our hero acting like a real sponge. Between Fetch who has a weakness for neon lights or Eugene, a video lover, we appreciate the possibility of increasing in power, each new power offering the player to make the most of a gameplay that is gaining in intensity. Enjoyable.
Between Fetch who has a weakness for neon lights or Eugene, a video lover, we appreciate the possibility of increasing in power, each new power offering the player to make the most of a gameplay that is gaining in intensity. Enjoyable.
If this is the term that comes up quite often when you have fun having fun with the new, newly acquired powers, it is really unfortunate not to be able to combine them and make the most of this idea of gameplay. Impossible for example to use the neon dash with the video jet, Delsin will have to choose between the powers obtained by sucking up the elements he finds in Seattle. A truly frustrating restriction, just like the moral choices we were literally oversold. Like the previous episodes, Delsin will be faced with decisions in his career, sometimes forcing him to sacrifice a friend or save his skin, corrupt a mutant or, conversely, put him back on the right track. In the end, apart from obtaining a different ending depending on the path chosen (that of justice from that of infamy) and separating two types of missions (red and blue), which will arouse the interest of redoing the game a second time, the consequences remain identical to previous episodes and are not as extensive as expected. A big disappointment that the developers have however compensated for by a narrative effort that did not exist in the series. The game has therefore gained in maturity and this is due in large part to the really successful cutscenes and the acting of Troy Baker, who perfectly embodies the character of Delsin Rowe, arrogant, narcissistic and a little hotheaded.
Neon, Cleaner
Graphically, moreover, inFAMOUS: Second Son throws a lot, it must be admitted. As a whole, the game pays homage to the technical capabilities of the PS4 with an open world that is both rich and lively and with a fairly impressive display distance. It is true that sometimes certain textures lack finesse and detail and that the citizens of Seattle give the feeling of having been taken over from the previous generation, but the game easily makes up for it in the amount of special effects and particles that prove that we have moved to the next gen'. It will not be uncommon indeed to stop for a moment to enjoy a sunset by the sea, to gaze at the neon lights which make Seattle's Chinatown shine, or even to appreciate the effects of rain which give the city an atmosphere worthy of Blade Runner. In any case, the game is built in such a way as to encourage the player to visit every corner of the city, with a good number of secondary missions to complete in order not only to try to finish the game at 100%, but also to increase the points of Delsin skill. This is perhaps where the developers of Sucker Punch reveal their limits to their imagination, with a certain repetition in the actions to be taken. Interrupt a demonstration, spot infiltrated DUP agents, unearth hidden drones, put an end to drug trafficking, or even create graffiti like a Banksy (a very nice mini-game of course, calling on the gyroscopic functions of the DualShock 4, even if we would have liked a more inventive handling like Jet Set Radio), this is basically what awaits you during the side quests. All this obviously has a specific purpose, to increase the life of the game, because based only on the main quests, inFAMOUS: Second Son ends in a dozen hours. Which I believe is fairly honest these days.
It is sometimes true that certain textures lack finesse and detail and that the citizens of Seattle give the feeling of having been taken over from the previous generation, but the game easily makes up for it by the quantity of special effects and particles which prove although we have moved to the next gen.
If the title of Sucker Punch has great visual qualities, there are nevertheless some weaknesses in gameplay, starting with the absence of lock which affects the smooth running of the action, especially when it is so lively and dynamic. With this maelstrom of enemies and events taking place on the screen, it would have been wiser to be able to target an enemy so as not to hinder melee attacks, for example. It is not uncommon, for example, to start chaining an enemy and moving on to another when you have not finished ruining it properly. Likewise, with the many projectiles and other power throws available, using zoom with L2 is unfortunately not enough. Because when launching an assault on prohibited areas guarded by DUP soldiers, it is not uncommon to have to face around thirty enemies at the same time, making the action frenetic, which has the effect of confusing the camera which sometimes has trouble keeping up. Another pitfall also caught our attention: the climb. Even if it becomes anecdotal once Delsin has acquired his full powers, the first hours of play are quite painful at times. If our rebel can cling to whatever he wants, he gives off a not always very pleasant floating feeling at the start of the game. Delsin is not Ezio, although we would have liked him to be able to climb the cornices with as much class as the hero of Assassin's Creed.
Between Good & Evil
Well, it's true, we tend to quibble a bit but we would have liked so much that inFAMOUS: Second Son could combine all these qualities for a result close to perfection. If there are still a lot of things to improve for a next episode, the game fulfills its specifications and is a very good stress reliever demonstrating the next gen' capabilities of the PS4. Because beyond certain technical imperfections and some wanderings in terms of gameplay, the pleasure of the game takes precedence over the rest, thanks in particular to this feeling of omnipotence conferred by Delsin's superpowers. We indeed take pleasure in jumping from building to building, sometimes stopping for a short time to take advantage of beautiful panoramas and then dropping several hundred meters with our fists towards the ground to create a shock wave for create chaos. Because honestly, it's very nice to play the good Samaritans but sinking to the dark side of the force provides much more pleasure. The path of infamy to the detriment of good behavior that suits more the casual character of Delsin Rowe, always there to fool around or make fun of the mouth of his brother, prisoner of his state of cop. This is also possible thanks to the acting of the actors, and more precisely the very good performance offered by Troy Baker who after The BioShock Infinite and The Last of Us proves to us that the new generation video game can no longer do without him. BG as we say these days!
