Infamous is a 2009 action-adventure video game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. The player controls the protagonist Cole MacGrath, a bike messenger caught in the center of an explosion that devastates several city blocks of the fictional Empire City. The explosion sends the city into chaos while Cole finds himself with new electricity-based super powers. Though the game's story follows Cole as he uses his new abilities to restore some semblance of order to Empire City, the player is given several opportunities to use these powers for good or evil through the game's Karma system. These choices ultimately affect character growth, the reaction of the city's populace towards Cole, and finer elements of gameplay and the story.
Sucker Punch developed Infamous as a change of pace from their earlier Sly Cooper series of stealth-based games, but using a similar comic book-inspired origin story to help the player become more connected with Cole. The game's pacing in the introduction of new super powers and ease of movement about the city by unconventional means were critical factors during development. The desolate urban atmosphere was inspired by comics such as DMZ and Batman: No Man's Land. Amon Tobin was among the artists who helped to compile its soundtrack, which aimed to reflect the environment.
The game was well received by the gaming press. It was praised for many of its elements, including the implementation of Cole's powers and climbing ability, and the game's mission structure. Reviewers commented on the repetitive nature of combat and enemies, limitations of the Karma system, and technical aspects in the graphical display. Infamous was compared to and contrasted with Prototype, a video game released the following month, which had many elements similar to Infamous. The game was offered by Sony as a free download as part of their 'Welcome Back' program, after the 2011 PlayStation Network outage. It is the first entry in the Infamous series and was followed by a sequel, Infamous 2, in June 2011.
Gameplay
Infamous is an action-adventure game set in an open world environment and played from a third-person perspective where the player controls Cole and primarily interacts with the world of Empire City through Cole's newly gained electricity-based powers; these are used for movement, offense and defense in combat, and either for better or worse in dealing with the citizens of Empire City. In order for Cole to use his powers, he must have stored electrical power, represented by a node meter on the player's heads up display (HUD). The player can recharge Cole by draining electricity from powered sources or from living beings; recharging also restores Cole's health.The game features 16 different electrical powers, ranging from simple bolts that do not consume Cole's energy to wide-field lightning storms that drain most of Cole's energy. The player can use such powers, giving the player options in certain situations. For example, the player may fire at a generator near foes to cause it to explode and cripple his opponents, then restrain them or make enemies attack each other.
Due to being vivified electricity, Cole is unable to use vehicles and touch water. Cole easily climbs buildings and other structures and can fall from a great height without taking damage. Many powers are acquired over the course of the game; once acquired, the player can use experience points, awarded for specific actions, stunts, and missions, to increase the power's effectiveness. The growth of these powers is affected by Cole's current Karma level. Starting in a neutral position, it ranges from Guardian to Champion to Hero on the Good side, and from Thug to Outlaw to Infamous on the Evil side. Certain actions, such as stopping to help injured citizens or draining their health to restore Cole's, will affect the Karma level in either direction. Normal story missions may also alter the Karma level. During the game, the player will encounter Karma Moments when the action pauses and is told, through a monologue by Cole, of two actions to choose from: always a good and a bad option. For example, one scenario the player is presented with is to either pull a valve and get a spray of tar in his face (Good), or force a civilian to do it for him (Evil). There are also a number of paired Good/Evil side missions in the game; completing one will lock out the other mission, but will reward the player with a large amount of Karma towards their selected Karma goal. Completion of these missions helps gain access to unique super powers based on the Karma level. The player is not locked into choosing either Karma path, and may opt to play towards one extreme and later switch to the other mid-game. Doing so will lock out any purchased power(s) in the original chosen Karma sector. In addition to altering Cole's appearance and certain aspects of the game's story, Karma also influences the behavior of the citizens of Empire City, they will come to help Cole in battle if his Karma is Good, but will turn on Cole and throw rocks at him if he has Bad Karma.
Empire City is built on three islands, and the player must work through main story missions on each island before being able to access the next one, though future missions may require the player to return to an earlier island. Each island is divided into a number of sectors, at the start of the game controlled by three different gangs, the Neon District being controlled by Sasha and her Reapers, the Warren District being controlled by Alden Tate and the Dust Men, and the Historic District being controlled by Kessler and the First Sons. The player can undertake a side mission in each sector, once certain main story requirements have been met, to free that sector from gang control by reducing or eliminating its presence in that sector. Other side missions may also unlock medical stations where Cole will re-awaken should he die. Though Cole must travel on foot he eventually gains powers that allow him to grind along power cables and powered, elevated train rails and to hover for a short time. Scattered around the city are hundreds of 'Blast Shards' which Cole can collect to increase the amount of electricity he can store. There are 32 'Dead Drop' satellite transmitters that help to reveal more of the backstory in the game.
Plot
Setting InFamous is set in Empire City, a fictional coastal metropolis connected to the American mainland by a single bridge. The city, inspired by New York City, is spread across three islands, each with its own borough, elevated train system, and power grid. Each island is connected to the others by a network of bridges and tunnels. The boroughs are the Neon District, the city's entertainment and business center decorated by grand Art Deco monuments; the Warren, a run-down residential neighborhood and international shipping hub; and the Historic District, the seat of the city government dominated by old Neo-Gothic and Beaux-Arts skyscrapers. The game opens with a mysterious explosion that decimates several blocks of the Historic District, followed by a viral epidemic that forces the federal government to quarantine the city. A subsequent rise in violent crime overwhelms the city's police force, resulting in societal collapse.
Characters The protagonist is Cole MacGrath (Jason Cottle), a bike courier accused of triggering the explosion, which leaves him with the ability to absorb and project electricity. His closest friend, Zeke Jedediah Dunbar (Caleb Moody), allows Cole to hide on his rooftop, despite his envy of the former's powers. Trish Dailey (October Moore), Cole's girlfriend, abandons him out of anger over the death of her sister Amy, while most of Empire City's residents view him as a terrorist. While attempting to escape the city with Zeke, Cole is contacted by FBI agent Moya Jones (Kimberli Colbourne), who offers to clear his name if he helps her find her husband, fellow agent John White (Phil LaMarr). White vanished while investigating a group known as the First Sons, believed to be responsible for orchestrating the explosion.
While working to restore order in the Neon District, Cole encounters Sasha (Jessica Straus), a former member of the First Sons, who, like Cole, is a "Conduit," an individual given powers by the First Sons. Using her ability to control the minds of others via a tar-like substance, she has formed a gang known as the Reapers. Meanwhile, the Warren has been overrun by the Dust Men, an army of homeless militants led by Alden Tate (also Jason Cottle), the original leader of the First Sons, who possesses telekinesis. Kessler (Sam A. Mowry), the true antagonist of the game, is a shadowy figure who controls the First Sons and takes an obsessive interest in Cole and his powers.
Story While the basic story of InFamous remains unchanged, whether the player opts for the "Good" or "Evil" karma path, certain story elements vary based on Cole's choices.
While making a delivery in the Historic District, Cole is instructed to open the package. In doing so, he activates a device known as the Ray Sphere, leveling six city blocks, nearly killing him, and granting him electrokinetic powers. Rescued by Zeke and Trish, he teaches himself to control his emerging powers. After Cole uses them in public to fight off a Reaper attack, the locals turn against him when he is accused of triggering the explosion, forcing him into hiding. He and Zeke engineer an assault on the sealed bridge, only to be ambushed by government forces. Separated from his friend, Cole meets Moya, an FBI agent, who persuades him to return and find her husband, John White, who was supposedly tasked with investigating a group called the First Sons. With her help, Cole restores the district's power supply, earning the attention of Sasha, who lures him into her underground lair. Cole defeats her, but the Sons abduct her before he can make her talk. Trapped in the Warren, Cole assists what remains of the police in battling the Dust Men. Alden is arrested and imprisoned, but Zeke's incompetence in guarding him allows the Dust Men to free him and massacre most of the officers. With Alden planning to reactivate the Sphere, the two patch things up and confront him, with Zeke ending up in possession of the Sphere. Giving in to his temptations, Zeke deserts Cole and takes the Sphere to Kessler.
With Alden on a murderous rampage toward the Historic District, Cole defeats him once and for all in a bridge battle. Before jumping in the water, Alden reveals that Kessler exiled him from the First Sons. White, who turns out to be an NSA agent with no connection to Moya, reaches out to Cole and explains that the Ray Sphere is designed to consume bio-energy from thousands of lives and transfer it to a single user, making them a Conduit. During their search for the Sphere, Kessler publicly challenges Cole to stop a series of bombings across the district, ending with him being forced to choose between saving Trish or her colleagues. Regardless of his choice, Cole fails to keep Trish from dying. Determined to avenge Trish, Cole tracks the Sphere to a remote pier, where he must decide whether to destroy it or use it to become even more powerful. Regardless, the Sphere releases the last of its energy, killing John before disappearing into a vortex.